TRAVELS  IN  AMERICA 

100  YEARS  AGO 


HARPERS 
BLACK  &WHITE 


-L 

USIVERSITV          C. \LIFOWaH 
DAViS 


THOMAS    TWINING 


TRAVELS    IN    AMERICA 
100  YEARS  AGO 


BEING  NOTES  AND   REMINISCENCES 

BY  THOMAS  TWINING 


NEW     YORK 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 
1894 

'RARY 


Harper's  '  '  Black  and  White"  Series. 

Illustrated,     321110,  Cloth,  50  cents  each. 

TRAVELS  IN  AMEEICA  100  YEARS 
AGO.     By  Thomas  Twining. 
MY  YEAR  IN  A  LOG  CABIN.    By 
William  Dean  Howells. 
EVENING  DRESS.    A  Farce.    By 
William  Dean  Howells. 
THE    WORK    OF    WASHINGTON 
IRVING.     By  Charles  Dudley 
Warner. 
EDWIN    BOOTH.      By   Laurence 
Hutton. 
THE  DECISION  OF  THK  COURT. 
A  Comedy.     By  Brander  Mat- 
thews. 
PHILLIPS    BROOKS.      By    Rev. 
Arthur  Brooks,  D.D. 
GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS.     By 
John  White  Chadwick. 
THE  UNEXPECTED   GUESTS.    A 
Farce.       By    William    Dean 
Howells. 

WHITTIER  :  NOTES  OF  HIS  LIFE 
AND  OF  HIS  FRIENDSHIPS.    By 
Annie  Fields. 
THE    JAPANESE    BRIDE.       By 
Naomi  Tamura. 
GILES    COREY,   YEOMAN.      By 
Mary  E.  Wilkins. 
COFFEE    AND   RKPARTEE.      By 
John  Kendrick  Bangs. 
JAMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL.    An 
Address.    By  George  William 
Curtis. 
SEEN  FROM  THE  SADDLE.      By 
Isa  Carrington  Cabell. 
A   FAMILY   CANOK  TRIP.      By 
Florence  Watters  Snedeker. 
A  LITTLK  Swiss  SOJOURN.  4  By 
William  Dean  Howells. 
A   LETTER    OF    INTRODUCTION. 
A  Farce.     By  William  Dean 

IN    AFRICA.      By   Henry   M. 
Stanley. 
THE     RIVALS.       By     Frangois 
Coppee. 

IN    THE    VESTIBULE    LIMITED. 
By  Brander  Matthews. 
THE  ALBANY  DEPOT.    A  Farce. 
By  William  Dean  Howells. 

PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  -will  be  sent  by  the  publishers, 
postage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  price. 

Copyright,  1893,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  rights  reserved. 


INTRODUCTION 


THOMAS  TWINING  was  one  of  the  energetic  Eng. 
lishmen  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Indian 
Empire.  He  arrived  in  India,  as  he  told  his  Eng- 
lish neighbors  in  a  lecture  delivered  forty-six  years 
afterwards,  a  puny  boy  of  sixteen,  in  1792.  He 
quitted  it  finally  in  1805^  still  under  thirty.  In  the 
interval,  to  quote  his  own  words,  he  "had  been 
intrusted  with  the  reform  of  an  extensive  depart- 
ment of  the  public  administration,  had  been  ap- 
pointed judge  of  a  great  district,  had  held  the 
charge  of  a  country  containing  more  than  ten  thou- 
sand towns  and  villages,  and  more  than  two  mill- 
ions of  people,  and  had  been  received  by  the  Great 
Mogul  on  his  throne  in  the  old  world  and  by  Gen- 
eral Washington  in  the  new." 

His  visit  to  the  United  States,  almost  at  the  be- 
ginning of  our  national  existence,  was  an  episode 
in  his  Indian  ca/eer,  occurring  in  the  course  of  his 
return  to  England  between  two  terms  of  residence 


in  India.  It  seems  to  have  been  solely  a  visit  of 
•  curiosity,  and  readers  of  the  account  of  it  now  pre- 
sented to  the  American  public  will  agree  that  they 
are  much  indebted  to  his  curiosity,  and  to  the  rec- 
ord that  he  left  of  its  assuagement.  Authentic  state- 
ments of  the  impression  made  upon  intelligent  and 
unprejudiced  foreigners  by  the  narrow  strip  of  sea- 
board that  virtually  constituted  the  territory  of  the 
young  republic  are  not  so  common  that  an  addition 
to  the  short  list  will  not  be  welcome. 

After  his  return  to  England  Mr.  Twining  mar- 
ried, and  for  a  time  settled  in  Northamptonshire, 
but  after  Waterloo  lived  with  his  family  for  twenty 
years  upon  the  Continent.  Returning  to  England 
in  1837,  he  settled  at  Twickenham,  and  died  there 
in  1861. 


AMERICA 


1795. — The  state  of  my  health  rendering  a 
voyage  to  Europe  necessary,  I  determined  to 
proceed  by  way  of  America.  Accordingly, 
towards  the  end  of  November,  I  left  Santi- 
pore,  taking  with  me  a  small  Bengal  cow,  in 
addition  to  my  doombah  and  other  curios- 
ities brought  from  Dehli.  The  natives  would 
not  have  consented  to  sell  me  a  cow  if  I  had 
not  assured  them  that  it  would  be  an  object 
of  particular  interest  and  care  in  the  coun- 
tries I  was  taking  it  to.  I  also  had  made,  by 
an  ingenious  workman  of  Santipoce,  small, 
but  very  exact,  models  of  the  principal  ma- 
chines and  instruments  used  in  the  agri- 
culture and  manufactures  of  India.  Among 
these  was  a  model  of  an  Indian  plough,  and 
an  excellent  one  of  an  Indian  loom,  with  the 
threads  upon  it,  executed  with  remarkable 


precision  and  neatness.  With  all  these  ob- 
jects I  arrived,  by  the  Ganges,  at  my  old 
quarters  in  Captain  Thornhill's  house. 

One  of  my  first  visits  was  to  the  comman- 
der of  the  American  ship  India,  Captain 
John  Ashmead.  He  was  a  Quaker ;  a  tall, 
thin,  upright  man  of  about  sixty  or  perhaps 
sixty-five,  in  whose  respectable  and  pleasing 
appearance  the  usual  mildness  and  simplicity 
of  his  sect,  with  a  deep  tinge  of  characteristic 
peculiarity,  were  visible.  His  thin  silvery 
locks  curled  round  the  collar  of  his  old-fash- 
ioned single-breasted  coat,  with  a  row  of 
large  plain  buttons  down  the  front  like  a 
schoolboy's.  He  introduced  me  to  the  super- 
cargo, a  Scotchman.  The  same  evening  the 
captain  accompanied  me  to  the  ship.  This 
I  found  rather  smaller  than  I  had  expected. 
Her  measurement  was  only  about  300  tons. 
But  everything  on  board  was  seamanlike 
and  neat.  The  upper  deck  was  flush  —  that 
is,  level  —  from  head  to  stern,  without  any 
cabin  upon  it,  as  in  the  Ponsborne.  The  lower 
deck,  to  which  the  descent  was  by  a  straight 
ladder  from  the  quarter-deck,  had  a  spacious 
cabin  or  dining-room  towards  the  stern,  com- 
prehending the  whole  width  of  the  ship  and 
lighted  by  the  stern  windows.  I  agreed  for 


the  starboard  half  of  this  room,  consenting 
to  its  being  separated  from  the  other  half  by 
a  green  baize  curtain,  which  was  to  be  drawn 
back^along  a  brass  rod  at  the  hours  of  dinner 
and  breakfast.  The  dining-table  was  fixed  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  and  half  of  it  conse- 
quently remained  in  my  cabin  when  the  cur- 
tain was  drawn. 

As  the  ship  was  to  sail  in  a  few  days,  I  had 
not  much  time  to  prepare  for  my  voyage. 
The  American  captains  having  the  reputa- 
tion of  keeping  rather  an  indifferent  table — 
living,  it  was  said,  principally  on  salt  beef 
and  sour-crout — Mr.  Fletcher  had  the  good- 
ness to  send  me  ten  fat  sheep  from  his  flock 
at  Santipore.  For  these  and  my  cow  and 
doombah,  a  considerable  quantity  of  hay  was 
necessary.  I  therefore  ordered  my  servants 
to  buy  grass,  or  rather  the  roots  of  grass,  in 
the  bazaars,  and  which,  being  spread  and  ex- 
posed to  the  sun  upon  the  flat  roofs  of  Cap- 
tain Thornhill's  outhouses,  was  closely  press- 
ed into  bundles. 

To  increase  my  collection  of  objects  relat- 
ing to  India,  I  bought,  at  a  sale  by  auction, 
some  oil-paintings  executed  by  an  able  Euro- 
pean artist.  One  represented  an  elephant 
with  a  howdah  upon  his  back,  kneeling  to  be 

3 


mounted ;  another  exhibited  two  or  three 
zuz,  a  small  leopard  of  elegant  form,  used  in 
hunting  the  antelope.  They  were  muzzled 
and  had  collars  round  their  necks,  and  were 
led  by  their  attendants  like  greyhounds  to 
the  chase.  But  the  most  valuable  addition 
was  that  which  my  menagerie  received,  con- 
sisting of  a  Thibet  or  shawl  goat,  presented 
to  me  by  my  friend,  Mr.  Myers,  Deputy  Ac- 
countant-General.  This  animal  was  a  curios- 
ity even  in  Calcutta.  It  was  small,  thin,  and 
scraggy,  and  had  long  hair,  principally  black, 
with  some  white  about  the  neck  and  legs. 
Upon  dividing  this  long  hair  a  short  white 
soft  wool  was  seen,  covering  the  body  like 
down,  and  this  was  the  precious  material 
from  which  the  shawl  of  Cash  mire  is  fabri- 
cated. It  being  much  doubted  and  disputed 
whether  it  was  a  goat  or  a  sheep  which  pro- 
duced this  substance,  I  considered  myself 
fortunate  in  being  able  to  exhibit  in  America 
and  Europe  such  decisive  testimony  upon 
this  point.  I  had,  however,  some  uneasiness 
from  the  apparently  delicate  state  of  the 
goat's  health,  which  seemed  to  have  suffered 
from  the  damp  climate  of  Calcutta. 

In  the  first  days  of  December,  the  India, 
having  completed  her  lading,  dropped  down 


the  river,  and  in  two  days  more  I  followed 
her.  I  left  the  ghaut  of  the  Bankshall  (the 
name  of  Captain  Thornhill's  office)  late  in 
the  evening  in  a  pauchway,  a  small  covered 
boat  rowed  by  four  men  seated  before  the 
roofed  part,  and  steered  by  a  fifth,  who  stood 
behind  it.  The  good  captain  and  his  son, 
Mr,  John  Thornhill,  accompanied  me  to  the 
water's  edge.  The  tide  running  veiy  rapidly, 
I  was  far  advanced  at  daybreak  next  morn- 
ing, and  in  the  afternoon  reached  the  ship, 
which  was  anchored  not  far  from  the  point 
where  I  had  disembarked  from  the  Ponsborne 
in  1792.  I  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  in 
arranging  my  things  in  my  cabin,  in  fixing 
my  excellent  English  trunks,  which  I  had 
fortunately  preserved,  and  in  securing  a  teak- 
wood  bedstead,  with  drawers  under  it,  which 
I  had  bought  in  the  bazaar  of  Calcutta.  The 
upper  part,  with  the  bedding  upon  it,  was 
made  to  be  lifted  up  from  the  drawers,  and 
to  serve  as  a  swinging  cot  in  rough  weather. 
The  small  white  cow,  Cabul  sheep,  Cashmire 
goat,  and  the  sheep  from  Santipore  were  dis- 
posed of :  some  in,  some  under,  the  boats 
between  the  main  and  fore  mast.  The  mon- 
key from  the  North  of  India  had  a  welcome 
reception  on  the  forecastle  among  the  crew. 

5 


On  the  9th  of  December,  the  pilot  being 
on  board  and  the  wind  quite  fair,  the  anchor 
was  heaved  and  we  set  sail.  Leaving  Sangor 
Island  close  on  our  left,  we  passed  between 
this  and  the  numerous  shoals  and  sandbanks 
across  which  the  Ponsborne  had  had  so  nar- 
row an  escape.  We  saw  many  immense 
buoys  of  different  colors  moored  with  strong 
chains  —  some  on  the  sands,  others  in  the 
fairway  or  channel — to  be  followed  by  ships. 
But,  notwithstanding  these  precautions  and 
an  extensive  establishment  of  pilots  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  Thornhill,  many 
vessels  are  annually  lost  in  this  dangerous 
navigation.  Arrived  off  the  sand-heads,  we 
saw  a  pilot  schooner  cruising  for  inward- 
bound  ships.  Having  made  a  signal  to  her 
she  approached  us  and  received  our  pilot  on 
board,  when  the  venerable  Quaker,  who  till 
now  had  been  a  quiet  spectator  on  board  his 
own  ship,  took  the  command.  And  here  I 
could  not  but  observe  a  singular  contrast  be- 
tween this  old  man  and  my  first  captain — 
between  the  cool,  unassuming  demeanor  of 
Captain  Ashmead  and  the  loud,  authoritative 
manner  of  Captain  Thomas.  A  difference, 
no  less  striking,  was  observable  between  the 
well-manned  decks  and  simultaneous  move- 

6 


ments  of  the  Indiaman,  and  the  scanty  crew 
and  slow,  consecutive  operations  of  the  Amer- 
ican ship.  For,  the  whole  crew  of  the  latter 
being  only  twenty -two  men,  the  principal 
work  of  the  three  masts,  instead  of  going  on 
at  the  same  time,  as  in  the  Ponsborne,  was 
necessarily  done  in  succession  ;  the  men  de- 
scending from  one  mast  to  mount  another, 
hoisting  the  foretop-sail  first  and  the  main- 
top-sail afterwards.  I  observed,  also,  that  of 
our  numbers  thus  small,  the  greater  part  con- 
sisted of  very  young  men,  apparently  not 
more  than  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of  age. 
They  were  better  dressed  than  the  sailors  I 
had  been  accustomed  to  see,  and  had  alto- 
gether a  more  respectable,  though  a  less 
robust  and  seaman-like  appearance.  The 
cause  of  this  difference  was,  for  the  present, 
unknown  to  me.  At  first  I  was  rather  star- 
tled at  this  apparent  inefficiency,  and  at  the 
idea  of  undertaking  the  passage  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  in  so  small  a  ship  so  feebly 
manned.  On  the  other  hand,  I  was  much 
pleased  with  the  mild,  inoffensive  tone  in 
which  the  captain  gave  his  orders,  and  with 
the  cheerful  alacrity  with  which  they  were 
executed.  There  was  no  oath,  nor  threat, 
nor  vulgar  language ;  no  anxious  exertion  or 

7 


fearful  obedience.  There  was  nothing  to 
damp  the  satisfaction  and  gladness  of  that 
joyful  moment  of  a  seaman's  life,  when,  after 
a  long  voyage,  the  ship's  head  is  again  turned 
towards  his  native  country. 

We  stood  out  of  Balasore  roads  towards 
the  middle  of  the  bay,  and  having  gained  a 
good  offing,  beyond  the  variable  breezes  of 
the  coast,  steered  to  the  south.  The  north- 
west monsoon  now  prevailing,  and  blowing 
fresh  on  our  starboard  quarter,  we  kept  a 
straight  course  down  the  bay  at  about  seven 
knots  an  hour.  The  weather  was  so  mild  and 
fine  that  for  several  nights  I  slept  upon  the 
after-part  of  the  upper  deck,  over  my  cabin, 
stretched  upon  a  hen-coop,  and  I  found  that 
I  thus  avoided  all  material  inconvenience 
from  sea-sickness.  After  five  or  six  days  I 
was  able  to  take  my  place  at  the  dinner-table. 
The  party  here  consisted  of  Captain  Ash- 
mead,  Mr.  Pringle,  the  supercargo,  Mr.  Gil- 
more,  Mr.  Brisbane,  the  surgeon,  a  young 
man,  who  was  chief  mate,  and  myself.  Mr. 
Gilmore  was  son  of  one  of  the  owners  of  the 
ship,  and  had  come  to  India  in  her  with  the 
view  of  learning  the  business  of  an  India 
voyage  under  Mr.  Pringle. 

We  had  a  fair  wind  and  fine  weather  from 


the  sand-heads  to  the  latitudes  bordering  on 
the  line.  We  here  experienced  some  light, 
baffling  breezes,  but  our  progress  was  not 
interrupted  by  those  total  calms  so  usual 
near  the  equator.  The  ship's  head  was  now 
turned  towards  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
We  spent  our  Christmas  Day  not  very  far 
from  the  Isle  of  France,  or  Mauritius  (Mau- 
rice), as  it  was  called  by  the  Dutch,  the  orig- 
inal possessors.  On  this  occasion  the  usual 
salutations  of  the  day  were  exchanged  among 
us;  we  had  a  more  ample  dinner,  and  there 
was  an  extra  distribution  to  the  men,  who 
were  dressed  as  on  Sundays.  There  was 
something  impressive  in  the  observance  of 
this  great  day  by  our  little  society  in  the 
midst  of  the  ocean.  We  approached  nearer 
to  the  French  Islands  than  would  have  been 
prudent  for  a  vessel  not  under  neutral  col- 
ors, for  they  were  the  general  rendezvous 
of  the  numerous  privateers  which  had  done 
so  much  injury  to  the  British  commerce  in 
the  Indian  seas. 

The  Isle  of  France  is  situated  in  20°  of 
south  latitude,  the  Isle  of  Bourbon  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  more  to  the  south, 
The  former  is  about  fifty  leagues  in  circum- 
ference, the  latter  about  eighteen  leagues  in 


length  and  thirteen  in  width.  The  climate  of 
both  is  said  to  be  delightful,  and  to  be  congen- 
ial to  most  of  the  productions  of  the  tropical 
regions,  such  as  sugar,  coffee,  tobacco,  indi- 
go, cotton,  the  breadfruit-tree,  etc.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  Isle  of  France  is  about  70,000, 
principally  slaves  procured  from  Madagascar. 
I  could  not  help  wishing  that  we  might  put 
into  Port  Louis,  the  chief  port  of  this  island  ; 
but  neither  a  deficiency  in  our  water,  nor  any 
other  circumstance,  requiring  this  deviation, 
our  prudent  captain  continued  his  course 
towards  the  Cape,  passing  not  far  from  the 
south  end  of  the  Island  of  Madagascar.  In 
a  few  days  more  we  approached  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  the  usual  preparations  for 
stormy  weather  were  made  accordingly.  The 
captain  ordering  a  reef  in  the  main-sail,  all 
hands  that  could  be  spared  from  deck, 
amounting  to  eighteen,  went  upon  the  main- 
yard.  On  board  a  man-of-war,  or  even  an 
Indiaman,  this  operation  would  have  required 
only  a  few  minutes;  but  our  crew,  as  I  have 
already  observed,  was  very  young,  and  in- 
dividually very  weak,  consisting  rather  of 
boys  than  men,  and  it  consequently  took  a 
long  time  to  haul  up  the  sail  and  make  it 
fast.  The  old  man,  however,  never  lost  his 


temper  or  patience,  and  the  sailors,  having 
accomplished  their  task,  in  the  quiet,  orderly 
way  in  which  everything  was  conducted  on 
board,  were  descending  to  the  deck,  when 
one  of  the  last  of  them  observed  that  the 
slings  which  suspended  the  main-yard  were 
broken  ;  two-thirds  of  the  twists  had  given 
way,  leaving  the  whole  weight  upon  one- 
third  alone.  This  discovery  greatly  affected 
the  captain,  and  caused  a  considerable  im- 
pression through  the  ship,  for  it  was  evident 
that  eighteen  men  who  had  just  left  the  yard 
had  been  exposed  to  great  danger.  Had  the 
yard  fallen  with  them,  all,  it  was  probable, 
would  have  been  killed  or  disabled.  After 
the  first  impressions  had  subsided  it  became 
a  question  among  us  what  we  should  have 
done  if  the  threatened  accident  had  taken 
place.  Here  our  helplessness  became  more 
evident,  and  rendered  us  more  sensible  of 
our  providential  escape. 

Continuing  our  course  towards  the  west, 
in  a  few  days  more  we  got  soundings,  and 
thought  we  discovered  land  upon  the  star- 
board beam.  We  were  upon  a  deep  bank 
called  Agulas's  Bank,  which  extends  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  to  the  south  of  the 
Cape.  The  nature  of  the  bottom  being  differ- 


ent  in  different  parts,  it  was  desirable  to  ob- 
tain some  portion  of  it  in  order  to  ascertain 
our  position  with  more  precision.  For  this 
purpose  a  lead  was  used  of  about  a  foot  long 
and  two  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  small 
cavity  at  the  bottom  filled  with  putty.  When 
the  lead  was  drawn  in,  sand  and  broken 
shells  were  found  attached  to  it.  Compar- 
ing this  result  with  a  map  of  the  bank,  our 
position  appeared,  and,  confirming  the  ship's 
reckoning,  the  captain  had  no  desire  to  see 
the  land  more  distinctly.  We  passed  first 
Sebastian's  Bay;  afterwards  False  Bay,  which 
opens  towards  the  south ;  and  lastly  Table 
Bay,  a  little  round  the  point  on  the  Atlantic 
side,  and  near  Cape  Town.  The  winds  were 
now  strong  against  us  from  the  west,  but  we 
got  on  against  them  by  aid  of  a  strong  cur- 
rent which  always  runs  down  the  eastern 
coast  of  Africa,  and  sets  round  the  land.  It 
is  for  this  reason  that  homeward-bound  ships, 
or  rather,  ships  bound  to  the  west  of  the 
Cape,  keep  near  it,  hugging  the  land,  as  the 
sailors  say ;  while  those  bound  eastward 
keep  to  the  south.  Although  we  thus  passed 
the  Cape  without  encountering  any  particu- 
lar storm,  we  were  very  near  meeting  with 
a  serious  accident  of  another  kind.  One 


dark  night,  about  ten  o'clock,  when  the  wind 
was  fresh,  a  seaman  of  the  forecastle  watch 
came  running  aft,  exclaiming,  with  much 
agitation,  "  A  ship  ahead  !"  We  had  scarce- 
ly heard  these  words  before  a  large  ship, 
running  before  the  wind,  passed  our  star- 
board bow.  As  she  went  swiftly  by  us,  our 
yard-arms  almost  touching,  the  captain  had 
just  time  to  hail  her,  and  to  hear  in  reply,  as 
we  thought,  the  words  "  Superb  "  and  "  Am- 
sterdam," from  which  we  inferred  that  she 
was  from  Holland,  and  bound  for  Batavia. 
Here  again  we  had  reason  to  be  thankful, 
for  a  few  feet  nearer,  half  a  turn  of  the  wheel 
of  either  ship,  and  both  vessels  must  have 
gone  to  the  bottom.  The  agitation  of  the 
sailor,  and  the  difficulty  he  had  in  expressing 
himself,  reminded  me  of  a  story  which  Cap- 
tain Thomas  once  told  at  the  cuddy  table, 
relating  to  a  ship  under  his  command  at  the 
time,  either  as  commander  or  chief  officer  of 
the  watch,  and  which  afforded  another  in- 
stance of  the  never-failing  presence  of  mind 
of  that  excellent  seaman.  One  of  the  sailors 
came  suddenly  upon  deck  from  below,  but 
such  was  his  terror  that  he  was  unable  to 
articulate  a  word.  "Sing!"  said  the  captain, 
"  sing !"  when  the  poor  man  sang  out  with- 
13 


out  any  difficulty,  "The  cabin's  on  fire  !  The 
cabin's  on  fire  !"  Captain  Thomas,  in  his  rep- 
etition, giving  the  man's  song  with  excellent 
effect. 

Passing  the  Cape  so  near  the  land  we  saw 
but  few  of  the  great  albatrosses  and  other 
birds  which  had  appeared  on  my  way  to 
India,  these  flying  more  to  the  south,  for 
the  sake,  it  was  supposed,  of  the  small  fish 
or  other  food  thrown  up  on  the  surface  of 
the  sea,  in  the  storms  which  prevail  there. 
Our  course  was  now  northwest,  with  vari- 
able winds,  but  principally  from  the  south. 

The  first  great  division  of  the  voyage 
being  passed,  the  usual  speculations  took 
place  as  to  the  probable  duration  of  the  re- 
mainder. If  not  detained  by  calms  at  the 
line  it  was  probable  we  should  reach  America 
in  less  than  two  months.  About  a  fortnight 
after  clearing  the  Cape  the  increasing  un- 
steadiness of  the  wind  denoted  that  we  were 
upon  the  edge  of  the  "  Trade,"  and  in  a  few 
days  more  a  fresh,  steady  breeze  from  the 
southeast  assured  us  of  our  having  gained 
that  much-desired  wind. 

Our  course  was  now  in  the  direction  of  St. 
Helena.  The  ship  remained  under  nearly  the 
same  sail  for  many  days  and  nights  together, 


going  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots  an 
hour,  rolling  from  one  side  to  the  other,  the 
wind  being  directly  astern.  This  is  called 
"  rolling  down  to  St.  Helena  "  by  the  captains 
of  Indiamen.  On  the  loth  February,  lat. 
25  S.,  long.  5  E.,  we  discovered,  in  the  after- 
noon, a  sail  on  our  starboard  beam.  Though 
a  great  way  off,  as  we  were  evidently  steering 
the  same  way,  there  seemed  a  chance  of  our 
speaking,  and  it  being  supposed  that  she  was 
bound  to  Europe,  and  probably  to  England, 
I  began  a  letter  to  my  father.  The  night, 
however,  closed  upon  us 'without  -our  ap- 
proaching. The  next  morning  the  sail  was 
still  in  sight,  and  nearly  at  the  same  distance 
from  us.  We  therefore  bore  up  a  point,  and 
soon  perceived  that  she  accepted  our  invi- 
tation to  speak,  by  making  a  similar  varia- 
tion in  her  course  towards  us.  In  the  after- 
noon we  were  within  hail,  when  we  found 
that  the  stranger  was  the  American  ship  At- 
lantic, from  China,  and  bound,  like  ourselves, 
to  Philadelphia.  We  kept  company  during 
the  night,  but  separated  next  day.  As  we 
had  the  advantage  in  sailing,  we  expected 
to  reach  America  some  days  before  her. 

After  repassing  the  tropic  of  Capricorn, 
we  continued  our  rolling  course  towards  the 
15 


northwest,  and  in  ten  days  more  passed  the 
island  of  St.  Helena,  about,  as  we  supposed, 
one  hundred  miles  to  the  west  of  it.  The 
climate  was  now  very  agreeable.  The  south- 
east trade,  which  still  blew  fresh,  tempered 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  kept  the  atmosphere 
at  a  pleasant  temperature. 

I  now  passed  much  of  my  time  upon  deck, 
reading,  or  walking,  or  playing  at  backgam- 
mon with  the  captain,  who  was  extremely 
fond  of  this  game,  and  played  it  very  well. 
In  accordance  with  the  serenity  of  the  cli- 
mate, and  the  evenness  of  our  course  at  this 
part  of  the  voyage,  was  the  orderly  and 
cheerful  character  of  the  ship,  everything 
between  the  captain  and  officers  and  crew 
being  conducted  in  the  most  good-tempered 
and  amicable  manner.  The  latter  enjoyed 
a  degree  of  comfort  which  I  had  never  seen 
on  board  a  ship.  Most  of  the  men  had  a 
few  private  stores,  and  many  of  them  took 
their  tea  in  little  parties  about  the  forecastle. 
I  was  not  surprised  at  these  indulgences,  for 
I  had  learned,  soon  after  sailing,  that  the 
young  men  whose  genteel  appearance  I  had 
noticed  were  the  sons  of  respectable  families 
of  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  who  had  come 
to  sea  under  Captain  Ashmead  for  the  pur- 


pose  of  being  instructed  in  navigation  by  this 
experienced  seaman,  preparatory  to  their 
being  officers  and  captains  themselves. 
Whilevthis  system  of  harmony  and  decency 
was  extremely  agreeable,  I  could  not  perceive 
that  it- was  less  efficient,  as  regarded  the  du- 
ties of  the  ship,  than  the  usual  vulgar  system 
of  oppressive  severity  called  discipline.  I 
had  now  been  three  months  on  board  the 
India,  and  had  not  heard  a  threat  used  nor 
an  oath  uttered. 

As  we  approached  the  equator  I  again 
saw,  with  pleasure,  the  swift  dolphin,  the 
flying- fish,  the  gelatinous  substance  called 
a  Portuguese  man-of-war,  and  the  elegant 
tropic  bird.  We  one  day  enjoyed  a  more 
unusual  sight,  a  party  of  large  whales  mak- 
ing their  appearance  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  ship.  They  rolled  about  on  the  surface 
of  the  sea,  amusing  themselves,  apparently, 
as  well  as  us.  I  had  once  considered  the 
spouting  of  whales  as  a  fabulous  exaggera- 
tion, but  I  distinctly  saw  and  heard  these 
fish  spout  up  the  sea  to  the  height  of  several 
feet,  with  a  considerable  noise  or  blowing. 
As  they  tumbled  about  for  some  time,  not 
far  from  our  larboard  bow,  the  captain  was 
uneasy  lest  we  should  strike  against  them. 


But  after  keeping  at  the  same  distance  from 
us  for  about  an  hour,  they  plunged  and  dis- 
appeared. 

The  trade  wind,  which  had  favored  us 
some  weeks,  gradually  declined  as  we  drew 
near  the  equator.  It  did  not,  however,  sub- 
side entirely,  but  took  us  a  few  degrees  into 
the  northern  hemisphere,  when  the  winds 
again  became  variable.  We  continued  our 
north-western  course  through  the  northern 
tropic,  leaving  on  our  left  the  West  India 
Islands  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  We  again 
saw  a  sail,  a  two -masted  vessel.  She  was 
rather  ahead,  but  lay-to  for  us  to  come  up, 
when  we  perceived  that  her  boat  was  out, 
rowing  towards  us.  Our  captain  lay-to  for 
it  to  reach  us,  but  observed  that  the  brig 
might  be  a  pirate,  and  that  it  would  be  pru- 
dent to  be  on  our  guard  while  her  boat  was 
alongside  and  her  people  on  board.  Look- 
ing at  the  boat  through  his  telescope,  he 
said  he  saw  only  five  hands,  but  that  there 
might  be  more  concealed  under  a  tarpaulin 
at  the  bottom.  Upon  this  he  went  down  to 
his  cabin,  at  the  bottom  *of  the  ladder,  and 
returned  upon  deck  with  a  brace  of  pistols, 
which  he  put  into  his  coat  pockets.  For 
the  old  man  was  not  a  Quaker  in  any  sense 


but  one,  and  was  resolved  to  be  ready  to  re- 
pulse any  hostile  attack.  I  did  not  put  my 
pistols  into  my  pockets,  for  these  were  far 
from  being  so  deep  as  those  of  the  captain  ; 
but  they  were  ready,  and  in  case  of  necessity 
the  father  of  the  ship,  as  he  was  considered, 
would  certainly  have  been  well  supported 
by  every  one  of  his  family.  When,  however, 
the  boat  come  alongside,  it  was  obvious  that 
it  contained  no  more  than  the  persons  be- 
fore visible.  The  steersman  was  therefore 
permitted  to  come  on  board.  He  was  the 
captain  himself  of  the  brig,  which  we  now 
found  was  from  Boston,  but  last  from  the 
Canary  Islands,  and  bound  to  one  of  the 
southern  parts  of  the  United  States.  The  cap- 
tain said  he  had  had  very  stormy  weather  in 
crossing  the  Atlantic.  When,  at  his  request, 
we  gave  him  our  longitude,  he  was  much  sur- 
prised, as  we  were  when  he  communicated 
his,  for  there  was  a  difference  of  many  de- 
grees between  us.  This  extraordinary  error 
was  doubtless  on  his  side,  for  Captain  Ash- 
mead  was  an  excellent  mathematician,  pos- 
sessed much  nautical  knowledge,  and  kept 
the  ship's  reckoning  with  great  accuracy. 
Although,  therefore,  we  had  not  had  any 
point  of  departure  since  our  soundings  off 


the  Cape,  and  the  captain  of  the  brig  had 
been  much  less  time  at  sea,  the  mistake  was 
ascribable  to  the  dark  weather  he  had  ex- 
perienced, and  in  some  degree,  it  was  prob- 
able, to  the  imperfection  of  his  science  or  of 
his  instruments.  He  was  fully  satisfied  of 
his  having  greatly  misconceived  the  situation 
of  his  ship,  and  allowed  it  was  a  fortunate 
circumstance  that  he  had  fallen  in  with  us. 
Finding  that  we  came  from  Bengal,  he  re- 
quested a  few  bags  of  rice,  which  were  read- 
ily given  him.  In  return  we  applied  to  him 
for  one  or  two  articles,  and  I  expressed  a 
wish  to  buy  a  bag  of  sago,  for  my  breakfast, 
and  a  few  figs.  As  the  boat  was  to  return  to 
our  ship  with  these  things,  I  went  in  her  to 
the  other  vessel.  The  most  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance I  found  on  board  was  an  extraor- 
dinary number  of  canary  birds.  The  cabin 
was  crowded  with  cages  containing  them. 
I  afterwards  understood  that  a  considerable 
profit  was  obtained  on  the  sale  of  these  birds 
in  the  southern  parts  of  the  Union.  I  again 
recollected  my  mother's  fancy,  and  should 
have  procured  a  few  of  them,  but  for  the 
probability  of  their  perishing  from  want  of 
proper  care.  I  returned  to  the  India  with  a 
small  supply  of  sago  and  figs,  when  the  ves- 


sels  separated,  and  we  continued  our  course 
towards  the  coast  of  America. 

The  only  interesting  occurrence  in  the  re- 
mainder of  our  voyage  was  our  crossing  the 
Gulf  Stream.  I  was  surprised  at  seeing  one 
day  large  quantities  of  sea-weed  round  the 
ship,  and  the  water  changed  from  its  usual 
appearance  to  a  yellow  color.  The  waves 
also  had  a  different  form,  exhibiting  a  pecu- 
liarity something  like  the  rippling  of  a  cur- 
rent. These  signs  denoted  our  arrival  in  the 
great  current  called  by  navigators  the  "  Gulf 
Stream,"  from  its  proceeding  from  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  The  common  opinion  is  that 
this  current  is  occasioned  by  the  constant 
flow  of  the  Mississippi  River  into  the  Mexi- 
can Gulf.  This  explanation,  however,  appears 
by  no  means  satisfactory,  since  the  volume 
of  the  stream,  sixteen  leagues  in  width, 
greatly  exceeds  that  of  the  Mississippi.  An- 
other hypothesis  considers  it  as  the  continu- 
ation of  the  current  which  sets  round  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  from  the  Indian  seas, 
and,  traversing  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  nearly 
in  the  line  followed  by  our  ship,  enters  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  whence  it  re-enters  the  ocean 
with  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  and  fol- 
lows the  American  coast  till  finally  dissipated 


in  the  Northern:  seas.  As  we  advanced  tow- 
ards the  middle  of  the  stream  the  quantity 
of  weed  was  prodigious,  covering  the  surface 
of  the  water  as  far  as  we  could  see.  This 
phenomenon  was  not  interesting  alone,  but 
was  useful,  as  verifying  our  position  in  re- 
spect to  the  American  coast. 

We  soon  had  a  great  change  of  climate, 
the  weather  becoming  more  cold  than  I  had 
felt  it  since  leaving  England.  I  could  hardly 
keep  myself  warm  day  or  night.  But  this 
inconvenience  was  welcome  as  another  sign 
that  the  end  of  our  voyage  was  nigh.  On 
the  ist  of  April  the  lead  was  heaved,  but  no 
bottom  found.  The  captain,  however,  or- 
dered the  ship  to  be  kept  under  easy  sail 
during  the  night,  her  head  alternately  to  the 
north  and  south.  The  lead  also  was  fre- 
quently heaved.  These  precautions  were  not 
premature,  for  the  next  morning,  Saturday, 
the  2d  April,  the  leadsman  proclaimed  bot- 
tom. We  lay-to  that  night,  but  the  following 
day  we  again  stood  towards  land,  and  I  had 
the  gratification  of  seeing  the  light-house  at 
the  entrance  of  Delaware  Bay,  after  a  pros- 
perous voyage  of  less  than  four  months  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Ganges.  Unfortunately  no 
pilot  appeared,  although  our  signal  for  one 


was  kept  flying.  Our  disappointment  was 
the  greater  as  the  weather  had  a  threatening 
appearance.  Some  dangerous  shoals,  called 
the  Nantucket  Shoals,  seemed  to  give  the 
captain  some  uneasiness  and  to  increase  his 
desire  to  get  into  port.  He  said  that  he  had 
been  more  than  sixty  voyages  from  the  Dela- 
ware, and  was  as  capable  as  a  pilot  to  take 
the  ship  into  the  bay,  but  that  in  case  of 
accident,  from  whatever  cause,  the  insurances 
would  be  void.  In  the  evening,  therefore, 
no  pilot  appearing,  the  ship's  head  was  put 
off  shore  and  we  stood  out  to  sea.  Morti- 
fying as  this  course  was,  its  prudence  was 
soon  manifest,  for  in  the  night  the  threaten- 
ing aspect  of  the  weather  ended  in  a  gale  of 
wind.  We  saw  nothing  around  us  next  day, 
but  kept  the  lead  going  lest  the  current 
should  set  us  towards  the  land.  In  the  af- 
ternoon the  gale  increased,  and  there  was 
much  bustle  on  board.  The  scantiness  of 
the  crew  made  it  necessary  for  every  one  to 
lend  a  hand  on  such  an  occasion.  In  conse- 
quence of  an  order  given  by  the  captain  to 
let  go  some  rope  near  the  stern,  I  ran  aft  and 
did  what  was  necessary.  At  this  moment 
the  rope  which  held  the  great  spanker-boom 
to  windward  gave  way,  and  this  spar,  with 
23 


the  sail  upon  it,  immediately  fell  down  to 
leeward  with  prodigious  force.  The  captain 
said  that  when  he  saw  me  between  the  falling 
boom  and  the  ship's  side  he  thought  my  de- 
struction inevitable.  When,  however,  the 
boom  had  arrived  within  three  or  four  feet 
of  the  side  against  which  I  was  leaning,  it 
was  stopped  by  a  thick  block  projecting  from 
the  stern  rail.  I  never  perhaps  had  a  more 
providential  escape. 

A  heavy  fall  of  rain  the  second  night  hav- 
ing abated  the  violence  of  the  wind,  the  next 
morning — Tuesday,  the  5th  April  —  at  day- 
break, we  were  again  able  to  set  sail  on  the 
ship  and  stand  towards  the  coast.  We  were 
this  time  more  fortunate.  A  sail  was  per- 
ceived, and  the  captain  soon  pronounced  her 
to  be  a  pilot  making  towards  us.  When 
sufficiently  near  he  came  on  board  in  a  small 
skiff  belonging  to  his  diminutive  vessel.  For 
this  was  not  a  schooner,  as  in  the  Bengal 
River,.but  merely  a  stout-decked  boat,  resem- 
bling a  large  fishing-boat.  The  pilot  having 
taken  charge  of  us,  we  proceeded  directly 
towards  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  River. 
In  the  afternoon  we  again  saw  the  light- 
house, and,  passing  it  early  in  the  evening, 
entered  Delaware  Bay,  having  on  our  left 


Cape  Henlopen,  on  which  the  light -house 
stood,  and  on  our  right  Cape  May.  The 
distance  between  the  two  capes  was  said  to 
be  fifteen  miles,  though  appearing  much  less. 
Within  them  the  bay  gradually  widened  to 
about  twenty-four  miles.  We  passed  near 
many  shoals,  particularly  "  Big  Shoal,"  on 
which  the  depth  of  water  varied  from  six  to 
ten  feet.  On  our  right  we  had  the  State  of 
New  Jersey,  on  our  left  that  of  Delaware. 
Both  shores  appeared  low  and  flat,  but  on 
arriving  in  the  New  World  I  felt  an  interest 
in  everything  I  beheld  that  supplied  the 
want  of  picturesque  attractions.  I  spent  the 
whole  day  upon  deck  asking  questions  and 
looking  about  me.  A  little  before  dark  we 
came  to  anchor  near  a  large  buoy,  called  the 
Buoy  of  the  Brown. 

6th  April. — I  was  early  on  deck,  expect- 
ing the  ship  to  get  under  way  to  mount 
the  river,  but  the  pilot  said  the  tide  would 
not  be  favorable  for  some  hours.  While 
we  were  at  anchor  several  vessels  and  fish- 
ing-boats from  Philadelphia  passed  us  on 
their  way  to  sea.  We  weighed  soon  after 
twelve  o'clock.  For  some  time  we  were  near 
a  vessel  from  England,  also  bound  to  Phila- 
delphia. The  captains  hailed  each  other,  and 
25 


afterwards  exchanged  newspapers  by  throw- 
ing a  line,  having  a  small  piece  of  lead  at  the 
end,  on  board  the  other  ship,  and  then  draw- 
ing it  backward  and  forward  with  the  pa- 
pers attached  to  it.  We  steered  generally  in 
six  or  eight  fathoms,  and  nearly  in  the  middle 
of  the  bay,  which  gradually  contracted  into 
the  Delaware  River,  so. called  aftei  the  Earl 
of  Delaware,  who  settled  in  this  part  of  the 
American  continent  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  A  river  of  such  magnitude  and 
importance,  and  which  bore  the  metropolis 
of  a  great  nation  upon  its  banks,  seemed  to 
claim  a  more  dignified  name  than  the  title  of 
an  adventurous  nobleman.  In  this  respect 
India  had  been  more  fortunate.  There,  the 
British  conquerors  and  settlers,  not  having 
had  the  pretension  and  bad  taste  to  change 
the  ancient  names  of  the  country  for  their 
own,  Plassey  was  not  called  "  Clive,"  nor 
Buxar  "  Munro,"  while  the  Ganges,  the  Bur- 
rampooter,  and  the  Saone  retained,  with  no 
material  corruption,  the  sacred  orthography 
of  the  remotest  ages. 

We  continued  to  mount  the  river,  passing 

between    Brown's   and    Brandy  wine    Shoal. 

On  our  left  we  passed  the  town  of  Dover, 

one  of  the  principal  towns  of  the  Delaware 

26 


State.  Though  capes  May  and  Henlopen, 
on  the  shore  of  the  Atlantic,  seemed  to  mark 
the  commencement  of  the  Delaware  —  the 
space,  called  the  bay  being  merely  an  ex- 
panded reach  of  the  river  itself — this  never- 
theless was  not  considered  as  beginning  till 
we  had  passed  Bombay  Hook,  twenty  miles 
above  the  capes.  Here  the  width  was  about 
three  miles.  On  the  Jersey  side  we  passed 
Stony  Point  and  the  small  town  of  Salem. 
Twenty  miles  above  Bombay  Point  we  came 
to  Reedy  Island,  and  anchored  for  the  night 
at  Port  Penn.  This  seemed  to  be  the 
Gravesend  of  the  Delaware,  being  the  usual 
rendezvous  of  ships  before  entering  the  At- 
lantic. The  direction  of  our  course  to-day 
had  been  about  north-west. 

7//z  April. — It  was  late  again  to-day  before 
the  tide  would  allow  us  to  move.  Our  course 
to-day  was  extremely  pleasant,  the  river  be- 
coming more  picturesque  as  it  became  more 
contracted.  We  passed  several  small  islands ; 
the  principal  of  which  was  Delaware  Island, 
and  the  considerable  town  of  Newcastle,  on 
the  western  shore,  formerly  called  Stock- 
holm, having  been  founded  by  the  Swedes, 
and  later  New  Amsterdam,  upon  its  passing 
into  the  possession  of  the  Dutch.  It  is  con- 
27 


sidered  the  oldest  European  settlement  on 
the  Delaware.  Its  situation,  about  half-way 
between  Philadelphia  and  the  sea,  is  evi- 
dently very  advantageous,  and  must  insure  it 
a  large  share  of  the  commercial  prosperity  of 
the  capital.  It  may  be  safely  predicted  that 
its  population  will  increase  more  during  the 
next  twenty  years  than  in  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  which  have  elapsed  since  its  estab- 
lishment. 

A  few  miles  higher  we  saw,  also  on  our 
left,  the  large  town  of  Wilmington,  pleas- 
antly situated  on  an  eminence,  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  river,  but  commanding  appar- 
ently a  view  of  every  sail  passing  upon  it.  I 
understood  that  it  was  the  largest  town  of 
the  Delaware  State.  We  next  came  to  Mar- 
cus Hook  (also  on  the  western  shore) ;  to  a 
succession  of  low  islands ;  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Schuylkyl,  with  Fort  Miffin  opposite  to 
it,  on  the  Jersey  side,  and  soon  after  discov- 
ered Philadelphia  itself,  situated  on  the  right 
or  western  bank  of  the  Delaware.  Though 
not  presenting  the  splendor,  nor  majesty,  nor 
venerable  antiquity  of  some  cities  I  had  seen, 
not  exhibiting  the  palaces  of  Calcutta,  nor 
the  temples  of  Benares,  nor  the  marble  domes 
and  minarets  of  Agra  and  Delhi,  its  appear- 
28 


ance  was  most  gratifying  to  me  as  the  city 
founded  by  Penn,  as  the  seat  of  the  American 
Government,  and  the  termination  of  my  voy- 
age. .  Having  passed  several  ships,  the  India 
entered  the  line  and  took- her  station  along 
one  of  the  wharves,  which  extended  nearly 
the  whole  length  of  the  city,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  I  stepped  ashore  without  even  the 
aid  of  a  plank,  the  ship's  side  touching  the 
wharf. 

It  being  evening,  when  many  people  were 
about,  the  quay  was  crowded  with  persons 
curious  to  witness  an  arrival  from  Bengal. 
Having  first  gratified  my  own  curiosity  by 
looking  at  the  lookers-on,  and  made  a  few 
turns  up  and  down  the  wharf,  enjoying  the 
great  pleasure  of  treading  once  more  on  firm 
ground  after  a  long  confinement  to  a  ship,  I 
was  setting  off  with  my  trunk  to  a  tavern 
when  Mr.  Pringle,  the  purser,  stopped  me 
with  a  pressing  invitation  to  accompany  him 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  Lewis,  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  India. 

This  worthy  citizen  received  me  very  kind- 
ly, saying,  "  How  dost  thou  do,  friend  ?  I  am 
glad  to  see  thee;"  for  he  was,. in  the  phrase- 
ology of  Philadelphia,  one  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  that  is  to  say,  a  Quaker.  He  intro- 


duced  me  to  Mrs.  Lewis  and  his  daughters, 
who  received  me  with  the  same  salutation, 
"  I  am  glad  to  see  thee,  friend ;  I  hope  thou 
art  well."  I  drank  tea  with  these  good  peo- 
ple, in  whom  I  found  a  kindness  which  the 
simplicity  of  their  manners  seemed  to  make 
the  more  cordial.  The  safe  arrival  of  their 
ship  at  a  favorable  market  put  all  the  family 
in  good  spirits.  After  tea  I  went  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  Bingham,  intending  to  go  after- 
wards to  the  London  Tavern,  but  Mrs.  Lewis 
insisted  upon  my  returning  to  sleep  at  her 
house :  "  Thou  wilt  sleep  here,  friend ;  thy 
bed  shall  be  ready  for  thee."  Mr.  Bingham, 
to  whom  Mr.  Pringle  introduced  me,  was  the 
principal  person  in  Philadelphia,  and  the 
wealthiest,  probably,  in  the  Union.  His 
house  stood  alone,  and  occupied,  with  the 
gardens  attached  to  it,  a  spacious  piece  of 
ground.  It  was  by  far  the  handsomest  resi- 
dence in  the  city.  I  found  here  a  large  party. 
Besides  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bingham  and  their  two 
daughters,  were  Count  de  Noailles,  Count 
Tilley,  Mr.  Alexander  Baring,  and  others, 
After  supper  I  returned  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Lewis,  and  was  conducted  to  a  handsome 
chamber,  the  centre  of  which  was  occupied 
by  a  square  bed,  with  curtains  all  round  it,  in 


the  English  manner.  There  could  not  be  a 
fairer  promise  of  a  good  night's  rest.  After, 
however,  I  had  slept  an  hour,  I  heard  a  per- 
son undressing  behind  the  curtains,  although 
there  was  no  other  bed  in  the  room  than  that 
which  I  had  supposed  to  belong  exclusively 
to  me.  But  this  opinion  was  soon  changed, 
for  the  stranger,  having  put  out  the  light, 
drew  back  the  curtains,  and  placed  himself 
at  my  side.  Sleeping  ill  with  another  person 
even  in  the  same  room,  I  would  much  rather 
have  had  Mrs.  Lewis's  bed,  ample  as  it  was, 
to  myself;  but  I  inferred  that  the  arrange- 
ment which  had  taken  place  was  one  of  the 
peculiar  customs  of  the  country,  and  that  in 
America,  when  a  stranger  was  invited  to  pass 
the  night  with  his  host,  it  was  never  meant 
to  give  him  the  whole  of  a  bed.  When  the 
light  of  the  morning  shone  upon  the  features 
of  my  companion,  whose  face  should  I  see 
but  Mr.  Pringle's.  Though  surprised  to  find 
that  the  purser  had  slept  so  near  me,  I  felt 
that  I  could  not  reasonably  complain,  for  as 
his  attentions  had  procured  me  this  bed,  no 
one  certainly  had  so  fair  a  claim  to  half  of  it 
as  himself. 

8th. — The  next  morning  after  breakfast  I 
took  a  lodging  at  the  principal  hotel  in  Phil- 


adelphia, called  the  London  Tavern,  but  found 
it  so  deficient  in  comfort  that  I  sallied  forth 
in  search  of  better  quarters.  I  asked  a  per- 
son in  the  street  where  the  Members  of  Con- 
gress put  up  when  they  arrived  from  the  dif- 
ferent States,  and  was  told  that  many  of  them 
lived  together  in  a  house  in  Fourth  Street 
kept  by  an  old  Frenchman  named  Francis.  I 
thought  it  would  be  very  desirable  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  this  house,  or  rather  into  this 
society.  I  accordingly  walked  immediately 
to  Fourth  Street,  and  found  old  Mr.  Francis 
and  his  American  wife  sitting  together  in  a 
small  dark  room  at  the  end  of  the  passage. 
I  did  not  at  first  know  who  Mrs.  Francis  was, 
for  she  appeared  too  tall  and  handsome  to 
be  the  old  man's  daughter,  and  too  young  to 
be  his  wife.  Mr.  Francis,  who  seemed  to  have 
lost  ul*e  politeness  of  his  own  country,  said, 
without  stirring  from  his  chair,  or  scarcely 
raising  his  head,  that  his  house  was  not  a 
tavern,  but  a  private  house  for  the  reception 
of  Members  of  Congress,  of  whom  it  was  now 
full.  I  mentioned  that  I  was  a  stranger  in 
America,  being  just  arrived  from  the  East 
Indies.  The  little  old  man  regarded  me  with 
a  look  of  surprise  as  I  said  this,  but  repeated, 
in  a  tone  of  diminished  repugnance  almost 
32 


amounting  to  civil  regret,  that  his  house  was 
full.  I  was  about  to  return  to  my  indifferent 
lodging  at  the  London  Tavern,  when  Mrs. 
Francis,  reminded  her  husband  of  a  small 
room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  which  I  might 
occupy  for  a  day  or  two,  when  a  chamber 
next  to  the  one  occupied  by  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent would  be  disengaged.  The  mention  of 
the  Vice-President  excited  my  attention,  and 
the  idea  of  being  placed  so  near  him  at  once 
obtained  my  assent  to  Mrs.  Francis's  pro- 
posal; and  the  old  man  also  expressed  his 
concurrence,  or  rather  allowed  his  wife  to 
make  what  arrangement  she  pleased.  I  im- 
mediately brought  my  trunk  from  the  Lon- 
don Tavern  and  placed  it  in  my  temporary 
apartment.  I  observed  that  the  maid-servant 
who  assisted  in  getting  it  up  a  steep  and  nar- 
row staircase  was  a  negress,  or  rather,  a^irva- 
latto,  the  first  human  being  of  this  race  that 
I  had  seen.  She  was  young,  active,  and  oblig- 
ing, and  spoke  English.  She  was  the  prop- 
erty, I  understood,  of  Mr.  Francis,  who  had 
bought  her  some  time  before,  and  might  of 
course  sell  her  whenever  he  pleased.  This 
was  the  first  instance  of  slavery  I  had 
ever  seen,  and  it  caused  me  both  pain  and 
surprise  to  meet  with  it  in  the  country 
c  33 


which  so  boasted  of  the  freedom  of  its  in- 
stitutions. 

At  dinner  to-day  I  met  several  members  of 
the  two  Houses  of  Congress,  and  thought 
them  most  amiable,  sensible  men.  The  seat 
at  the  head  of  the  table  was  reserved  for  the 
Vice-President,  Mr.  Adams,  but  he  did  not 
come  to  dinner.  In  the  evening  Mrs.  Francis 
made  tea  for  nearly  the  same  party.  Con- 
sidering that  I  had  arrived  in  America  only 
the  day  before,  that  I  had  no  introduction  to 
any  one,  that  there  was  not  a  good  hotel  in 
the  city,  and  that  the  general  usages  of  the 
country  did  not,  as  in  India,  supply  this  de- 
ficiency, I  thought  myself  fortunate  in  being 
already  established  in  the  most  respectable 
society  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Bingham, 
the  President  of  the  Pennsylvania!!  State, 
not  only  gave  me  a  general  invitation  to  his 
house,  but  offered  to  take  care  of  my  great 
sheep  during  my  stay  in  America.  This  fine 
animal  had  arrived  in  perfect  health,  as  had 
my  Santipore  cow ;  but  my  Cachmirean  goat, 
which  was  very  sickly  when  we  left  India, 
had  died  shortly  before  we  reached  the  Del- 
aware. 

The  negress  being  engaged  in  arranging 
my  chamber,  my  curiosity  to  see  an  American 


play  led  me  to  the  theatre.  The  play  was  the 
"  Miser,"  followed  by  the  "Jubilee."  I  took 
my  place  in  the  front  boxes,  paying  nearly 
the  same  price  as  in  England. 

gtk  April. — I  breakfasted  this  morning  at 
the  public  table,  at  which  Madame*  Francis 
presided.  Several  members  of  both  Houses 
were  present.  Mrs.  Francis  helped  me  to 
some  of  the  celebrated  buckwheat  cakes, 
whose  excellence  had  been  the  subject  of 
much  commendation  during  our  voyage.  It 
takes  its  name  from  the  species  of  wheat  of 
which  it  is  made,  and  in  size  and  appearance 
resembles  the  English  crumpet,  and  is  dressed 
in  the  same  manner,  being  first  toasted  and 
then  buttered.  But  it  is  superior  to  the 
crumpet  or  muffin,  having  the  peculiar  taste 
of  the  buckwheat,  which  is  extremely  agree- 
able, and  renders  it  the  most  esteemed  article 
of  an  American  breakfast.  This  meal  was,  in 
other  respects,  very  abundant  and  sumptu- 
ous, comprising  tea,  coffee,  hot  rolls,  toast, 
eggs,  ham,  and  joints  of  cold  meat.  It  ap- 
peared the  English  breakfast  of  former  days, 
with  tea  and  its  accompaniments  added  to  it. 

After  this  I  called  at  Mr.  Bingham's,  where 
I  found  my  doombah  grazing  upon  the  gar- 
den lawn  at  the  back  of  the  house.  While  I 

35 


was  looking  at  it  with  Mr.  Bingham,  several 
inhabitants  of  the  city  came  to  gratify  their 
curiosity,  for  Mr.  Bingham,  having  observed 
this,  had  ordered  that  everybody  should  be 
admitted,  and  considerable  numbers  had  al- 
ready come  to  the  garden  in  consequence. 
My  Bengal  cow,  which  I  found  in  a  stable 
not  far  off,  also  had  numerous  visitors. 
Among  the  curiosities  which  I  brought  from 
India  was  an  oyster-shell  of  extraordinary 
size  and  weight,  exceeding  one  hundred 
pounds.  It  was  the  bottom  shell  alone,  and 
had  been  found  amongst  a  heap  of  oyster- 
shells  at  Madras.  The  mark  of  the  oyster 
was  visible  upon  the  discolored  surface  of  the 
inside,  and  showed  that  the  fish  had  nearly 
filled  the  entire  cavity.  This  curiosity  I  pre- 
sented to  the  National  Museum,  where  it  was 
very  graciously  accepted. 

1  called  upon  Mr.  Bond,  the  British  Consul 
and  temporary  representative  of  the  British 
Government  in  the  absence  of  the  Envoy. 
He  asked  me  many  questions  about  India, 
and  said  he  must  introduce  me  to  General 
Washington.  He  invited  me  to  spend  that 
evening  with  him. 

On  returning  to  my  lodging  in  Fourth 
Street,  I  found  the  negro  girl  bringing  my 
36 


things  down-stairs  from  the  garret.  She  told 
me,  with  much  pleasure,  that  she  was  taking 
them  to  a  room  on  the  first  floor,  which  her 
mistress  had  ordered  for  me.  This  I  found 
to  be  a  very  good  chamber,  with  two  win- 
dows looking  into  a  court  behind  the  house. 
In  a  room  adjoining,  and  nearly  similar,  was 
Mr.  Adams,  the  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States. 

Soon  after  I  was  installed  in  my  new 
quarters,  Mr.  Alexander  Baring  and  his 
brother,  Mr.  Henry  Baring,  called  upon  me. 
I  thought  the  former  a  clever,  well-informed 
young  man.*  He  was,  I  understood,  come  to 
America  on  account  of  Messrs.  Hope's  house, 
of  Amsterdam,  to  purchase  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  the  province  of  Maine,  belonging  to 
Mr.  Bingham.  I  knew  his  brother  in  Ben- 
gal, the  eldest  son  of  Sir  Francis  Baring. 
He  had  married  one  of  my  fellow-passengers 
in  the  Ponsborne,  granddaughter  of  Captain 
Thornhill. 

I  dined  to-day  with  the  Members  of  Con- 
gress. Mr.  Adams  took  the  chair  always 
reserved  for  him  at  the  head  of  the  table, 

*  My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  A.  Baring,  now  Lord  Ashbur- 
ton,  has  since  been  kept  up.     He  always  refers  to  our  first 
meetings  with  much  apparent  satisfaction. 
37 


though  himself  superior  to  all  sense  of  su- 
periority. He  appeared  to  be  about  sixty 
years  of  age.  In  person  he  was  rather  short 
and  thick;  in  his  manner  somewhat  cold  and 
reserved,  as  the  citizens  of  Massachusetts,  his 
native  state,  are  said  generally  to  be.  His 
presence  caused  a  general  feeling  of  respect, 
but  the  modesty  of  his  demeanor  and  the 
tolerance  of  his  opinions  excluded  all  incon- 
venient restraint.  He  was  generally  dressed 
in  a  light  or  drab-colored  coat,  and  had  the 
appearance  rather  of  an  English  country 
gentleman  who  had  seen  little  of  the  world, 
than  of  a  statesman  who  had  seen  so  much 
of  public  life.  He  began  his  career  at  the 
bar  of  the  Royal  Courts  of  Boston,  where  he 
was  said  to  have  gained  popularity  by  his 
eloquence,  and  esteem  by  his  integrity  and 
independence ;  but  it  is  probable  that  the 
great  powers  of  his  mind,  like  those  of  Wash- 
ington and  other  patriots,  would  have  re- 
mained unknown  if  the  Revolution  had  not 
brought  them  into  notice.  He  was  chosen 
by  his  countrymen  to  represent  them  in  the 
first  National  Congress  asse'mbled  at  Phila- 
delphia in  the  year  1774,  the  year  before  the 
commencement  of  open  hostilities  by  the 
battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  and  during  the  war 
38 


which  followed  he  was  associated  with  Frank- 
lin in  the  mission  of  the  latter  to  the  court  of 
France.  He  was  also  employed  in  diplo- 
matic negotiations  with  England  and  Hol- 
land. I  was  told  that  the  troubles  of  his 
country  had  drawn  from  his  pen  some  pub- 
lications, in  which  his  patriotism  and  his 
talents  were  equally  conspicuous.  Knowing 
few  greater  pleasures  than  that  of  listening 
to  the  conversation  of  great  and  virtuous 
men,  I  was  always  glad  when  I  saw  Mr. 
Adams  enter  the  room  and  take  his  place  at 
our  table.  Indeed,  to  behold  this  distin- 
guished man,  the  future  President  of  his 
country,  occupying  the  chair  of  the  Senate 
in  the  morning,  and  afterwards  walking  home 
through  the  streets  and  taking  his  seat 
amongst  his  fellow -citizens,  as  their  equal, 
conversing  amicably  with  men  over  whom  he 
had  just  presided,  and  perhaps  checked  and 
admonished,  was  a  singular  spectacle,  and  a 
striking  exemplification  of  the  state  of  society 
in  America  at  this  period. 

I  drank  tea,  and  spent  the  evening,  with 
the  English  charge  d'affaires.  There  was 
a  large  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  all 
Americans.  The  reception  was  in  a  large 
room  up-stairs,  resembling  in  every  respect 

39 


an  English  drawing-room.  The  company 
sat  round  a  wood-fire,  placed  in  a  shining 
grate.  In  the  middle  of  the  circle,  after  tea 
and  coffee  had  been  served  round,  figured 
the  Consul  himself,  descanting  on  various 
subjects,  public  and  private,  as  well  as  public 
and  private  characters,  sometimes  with  un- 
becoming levity,  sometimes  with  sarcasm 
still  more  unbecoming.  The  opinions  he 
expressed  could  hardly  fail  to  be  offensive  to 
the  sentiments  of  many  of  his  guests,  and  to 
the  good  taste  of  all.  I  was  surprised  at  be- 
havior so  undignified,  and  felt  some  shame 
at  seeing  the  representative  of  my  country 
playing  the  part  of  a  political  mountebank 
before  many  of  the  principal  persons  of  the 
American  metropolis. 

Sunday,  loth  April. — I  went  this  forenoon 
to  hear  the  celebrated  Dr.  Priestley  preach. 
The  chapel,  though  spacious,  was  so  crowded 
that  I  was  obliged  to  stand  near  the  door, 
and  could  only  judge  of  the  Doctor's  elo- 
quence by  the  pleasure  it  seemed  to  afford 
his  hearers. 

I  dined  and  drank  tea  with  Mr.  Bingham, 
met  the  Count  de  Noailles,  Count  Tilley,  the 
celebrated  Monsr.  Volney,  the  two  Messrs. 
Barings,  and  several  members  of  the  Senate 


and  House  of  Representatives— in  all  a  very 
large  party.  Mr.  Volney,  next  whom  I  sat 
at  dinner,  was  very  inquisitive  about  India. 
Mr.  Alexander  Baring,  who  sat  nearly  op- 
posite to  me,  took  a  leading  part  in  the 
general  conversation.  After  tea,  the  Count 
de  Noailles  undertook  to  introduce  me  to 
Dr.  Ross,  an  English  physician,  who  would, 
he  said,  have  much  pleasure  in  seeing  me. 
The  Doctor,  it  appeared,  was  distinguished 
rather  as  a  literary  character  than  as  a  phy- 
sician, not  practising  as  such,  though  giving 
his  gratuitous  assistance  to  his  countrymen 
and  friends.  This  introduction  proved  very 
agreeable,  and  confirmed  the  favorable  ac- 
counts I  had  received  of  the  Doctor  from  the 
Count  and  others. 

Monday,  nth. — Called  this  morning  upon 
the  Barings.  Found  them  fencing  together. 
After  my  return  home  I  received  a  visit  from 
Mr.  Bond.  He  called  to  let  me  know  that 
General  Washington  would  hold  a  levee  the 
next  day,  when  he  would  introduce  me  to 
him.  He  said  he  would  call  upon  me  and 
take  me  with  him,  and  begged  me  to  be  ready 
at  the  time  fixed.  Dr.  Ross  also  called  upon 
me,  and  was  extremely  civil.  He  invited  me 
to  dine  with  him  the  next  day.  Dined  with 


the  Vice-President  and  Members  of  Congress. 
In  the  evening  went  to  the  play,  "All  in  the 
Wrong." 

Tuesday. — After  partaking  of  Mrs.  Fran- 
cis's buckwheat  cakes,  I  put  my  head  into 
the  hands  of  the  hairdresser.  I  had  still 
preserved  in  its  original  length  and  fulness 
the  pigtail,  as  it  was  called,  with  which  I 
had  left  England,  the  democratic  crop  of  the 
French  Revolution  not  having  yet  reached 
India.  I  doubted,  indeed,  whether  style  of 
dress  was  required  by  the  forms  of  the  re- 
publican court  at  which  I  was  about  to  ap- 
pear ;  but  as  much  of  the  attention  1  received 
seemed  to  be  on  account  of  my  coming  from 
India,  I  thought  it  as  well  to  be  presented  in 
the  costume  of  an  Indian  court.  When 
dressed,  I  joined  the  Members  of  Congress 
in  the  public  room,  to  wait  for  Mr.  Bond. 
While  conversing  with  these  gentlemen,  ex- 
pecting the  British  charge  every  minute,  the 
negress  entered,  and  delivered  to  me  a  note 
from  this  officer  to  say  that  important  public 
business  had  suddenly  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  attend  the  levee  that  day.  I  re- 
gretted this  circumstance  the  more,  because 
I  was  likely  to  leave  Philadelphia  before  the 
next  levee. 


Scarcely  had  I  resumed  my  common  dress 
before  Dr.  Ross  called.  He  said  that,  know- 
ing that  Dr.  Priestley  would  be  glad  to  see 
me,  he  called  to  accompany  me  to  him. 
Disappointed  of  seeing  one  great  man  that 
morning,  I  considered  myself  fortunate  in 
being  thus  introduced  to  another.  I  willing- 
ly, therefore,  accepted  the  Doctor's  obliging 
offer,  and  set  out  with  him  for  Dr.  Priestley's 
house  in  High  Street. 

High  Street  is  considered  the  principal 
street  in  Philadelphia,  although  Broad  Street, 
which  crosses  it  towards  its  upper  end,  ex- 
ceeds it  somewhat  in  width.  It  runs  per- 
pendicularly from  the  river,  or  from  east  to 
west,  and  divides  the  city  into  two  parts, 
nearly  equal.  The  streets,  which  run  in  the 
line  of  the  river,  or  from  north  to  south,  all 
cut  High  Street,  and,  of  course,  all  the  streets 
parallel  to  it,  at  right  angles.  The  width 
of  High  Street  is  one  hundred  feet ;  that  of 
all  the  others,  with  the  exception  of  Broad 
Street,  about  fifty.  All  the  streets  being 
equidistant  from  each  other,  it  is  evident 
that  their  intersection  forms  the  houses 
comprised  between  them  into  square  masses 
of  equal  dimensions.  Such  is  the  simple  but 
monotonous  plan  of  Philadelphia,  as  laid 

43 


down  by  its  founder,  William  Penn,  towards 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The 
streets  resemble  many  of  the  smaller  streets 
of  London,  excepting  that  the  foot-pavement 
on  each  side  is  of  brick  instead  of  stone. 
The  houses  also  are  built  with  red  brick,  and 
have  generally  a  shop  on  the  first  floor,  and 
two  or  three  windows  in  the  stories  above. 
The  streets  and  houses  thus  resembling  each 
other,  having  scarcely  any  difference  in  their 
appearance,  excepting  the  accidental  dis- 
similarity arising  from  the  shops,  produces  a 
sameness  wearying  to  the  eye,  and  often 
embarrassing  to  a  stranger,  who  can  hardly 
tell,  when  it  is  too  dusk  to  read  the  names  at 
the  corners,  whether  he  is  in  "  Third  "  or 
"  Fourth  Street,"  "  Chesnut"  or  "  Walnut." 
For  the  nomenclature  adopted  by  old  Penn 
when  he  made  his  streets  was  as  unusual  as 
many  other  parts  of  his  plan,  and  by  aiming 
at  extreme  simplicity,  produced  eccentricity 
rather  than  convenience,  confusion  rather 
than  clearness.  Thus,  the  first  street  from 
the  Delaware  was  called  "  First  Street " ; 
the  succeeding  ones  "Second,"  "Third," 
"  Fourth,"  "  Fifth,"  "  Sixth,"  and  so  on,  as 
far  as  Broad  Street,  half  way  between  the 
Delaware  and  the  Schuylkyl.  Beyond  this 


line  they  were  numbered  in  a  similar  way 
from  the  latter  river  towards  the  Delaware, 
the  streets  of  the  same  number  on  the  two 
sides. of  the  line  of  separation  being  distin- 
guished by  the  name  of  the  river  to  which 
they  belonged,  as  "  Delaware  First  Street," 
"Schuylkyl  First  Street,"  "  Delaware  Fifth 
Street,"  "  Schuylkyl  Fifth  Street,"  etc.  This 
inconvenient  arrangement  seems  to  have 
been  adopted  on  the  supposition  that  the 
two  sides  of  the  city  would  be  constructed 
simultaneously  from  the  respective  water 
fronts.  This,  however,  was  not  the  case ;  for 
the  Delaware,  offering  much  greater  facilities 
for  navigation,  the  city  has  been  extended  far 
beyond  its  intended  limits,  along  the  banks 
of  this  river,  north  and  south,  while  no 
buildings  have  been  commenced  on  the  banks 
of  the  Schuylkyl  to  the  present  time  (1796). 
Some  streets,  however,  have  been  begun  on 
the  Schuylkyl  side  of  Broad  Street ;  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  will,  in  a  few 
years  more,  reach  that  river.  Whenever 
that  may  be  the  case,  the  inconvenience  of 
having  two  sets  of  streets  bearing  the  same 
names  will  probably  be  manifest,  and  may 
lead  to  a  change  less  repugnant  to  custom 
and  good  taste.  It  is  harsh  enough  for  a 

45 


stranger's  ear  to  hear  "Thirteenth  Street" 
(the  last  next  the  midway  division),  without 
the  distinction  of  "  Delaware  Thirteenth 
Street,"  or  "  Delaware  Thirteenth,"  which 
will  be  necessary  when  the  remaining  or 
Schuylkyl  half  of  the  city  shall  be  built. 
The  names  given  to  the  other  streets,  those 
which  run  from  the  Delaware  towards  the 
Schuylkyl,  are  scarcely  less  whimsical,  the 
principal  trees  oi  America  having  been  chosen 
for  this  purpose,  and  thus  forming  Chesnut, 
Walnut,  Pine,  Cedar,  Mulberry,  Spruce,  Sas- 
safras streets.  The  distance  between  the 
two  rivers  is  about  two  miles,  over  a  level 
plain. 

Proceeded  to  Dr.  Priestley's  house  in  the 
upper  part  of  High  Street,  in  a  row  of  small 
houses  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  streets, 
remarkable  for  their  pleasant  appearance, 
standing  back  a  few  yards  from  the  footpath, 
and  having  small  gardens,  separated  by 
painted  rails,  before  them.  I  had  not  seen 
such  an  appearance  of  neatness  and  comfort 
since  my  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  and  experi- 
enced pleasure  in  finding  that  it  was  here 
that  the  English  philosopher,  the  benefactor 
of  his  country  and  of  mankind,  by  his  dis- 
coveries in  useful  science,  had  taken  up  his 
46 


abode.  Having  passed  through  the  garden 
of  one  of  the  first  houses,  the  door  was  soon 
opened  by  a  female  servant,  who,  saying  that 
the  Doctor  was  at  home,  conducted  us  into 
a  small  room  by  the  side  of  the  passage, 
looking  towards  the  street.  Here  I  expected 
to  see  the  Doctor,  but  found  only  his  sister, 
who  desired  the  maid  to  let  her  master  know 
that  Dr.  Ross  was  come.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  Doctor,  having  quitted,  probably,  his 
studies,  entered  the  room,  and  I  was  at  once 
relieved  from  the  sort  of  uneasiness  which 
precedes  an  introduction  to  a  great  man,  his 
countenance  being  exceedingly  mild  and 
good-natured,  and  his  manner  no  less  easy 
and  conciliating.  His  person,  short  and 
slender,  his  age,  apparently  about  sixty,  and 
his  unaffected  cheerfulness  at  once  reminded 
me  of  my  Uncle  Thomas  —  an  impression 
that  increased  during  the  remainder  of  my 
visit. 

Dr.  Ross,  in  his  friendly  zeal,  introduced 
me  somewhat  in  the  style  of  a  showman  at  a 
country  fair:  "Mr.  Twining  — just  arrived 
from  Bengal — a  great  traveller  on  the  Ganges 
— has  been  received  by  the  Great  Moghol," 
etc.  The  Doctor,  his  simplicity  unchanged 
by  this  recital,  received  me  with  hearty  kind- 


ness.  He  placed  me  near  the  fire,  and  took 
a  chair  by  my  side.  I  soon  found  that  he  was 
as  inquisitive  as  Dr.  Ross  had  represented 
him  to  be.  Fortunately  his  inquiries  were 
directed  to  such  subjects  respecting  India  as 
were  familiar  to  me,  such  as  the  castes,  cus- 
toms, and  character  of  the  inhabitants ;  cli- 
mate, productions,  etc.  Passing  from  general 
to  particular  questions,  he  wished  to  have  a 
description  of  the  couvre-capelle ;  and  the 
numbers  of  this  deadly  snake  which  I  had 
seen  at  Santipore  enabled  me  to  gratify  his 
curiosity  upon  this  point.  I  described  also 
the  mungoos,  and  the  battle  which  I  had 
seen  between  this  animal  and  a  couvre- 
capelle.  He  asked  me  about  a  particular 
fish,  and  about  a  particular  property  it  pos- 
sessed. I  fortunately  knew  this,  had  eaten  it, 
and  remarked  the  peculiarity  he  alluded  to. 
The  Doctor  related,  in  his  turn,  many  an- 
ecdotes, here  further  reminding  me,  by  his 
playfulness  and  good-humor,  of  my  learned 
uncle.  He  had  a  way,  when  telling  his  stories, 
of  asking  you  to  guess  how  a  thing  happened, 
saying,  "  Now,  sir,  how  do  you  think  this 
was  ?"  waiting  a  few  moments  for  an  answer. 
Among  other  things,  he  spoke  of  the  great 
sheep  in  Mr.  Bingham's  garden,  expressing 
48 


his  intention  of  seeing  it,  and  then  alluded  to 
the  great  improvement  lately  made  by  Mr. 
Bakewell  of  Leicestershire  in  the  breed  and 
management  of  animals.  He  said  he  once 
visited.  Mr.  Bakewell,  who  showed  him  his 
improved  race  of  sheep,  and  his  fine  bulls, 
remarkable  for  their  size  and  symmetry.  He 
saw  two  of  these  animals  grazing  peaceably 
in  the  same  pasture.  "  I  can,"  said  Mr.  Bake- 
well,  "  immediately  make  these  bulls  as  furi- 
ous as  they  are  now  quiet,  and  again  make 
them  friends."  "And  how,"  said  the  Doctor, 
addressing  himself  to  me,  "  how,  sir,  do  you 
think  this  was  done?  Why,  sir,  Mr.  Bakewell 
ordered  one  of  his  men  to  drive  a  cow  into 
the  field,  and  the  two  bulls  rushed  at  each 
other,  and  fought  with  the  greatest  fierceness. 
While  they  were  thus  engaged,  the  cow  was 
driven  out  of  the  field,  and  the  two  cham- 
pions grazed  together  quietly  as  before." 

The  Doctor  having  expressed  a  desire  to 
see  the  skin  of  my  shawl  goat,  it  was  settled 
that  he  would  call  the  next  day,  and  accom- 
pany me  on  board  the  India.  I  now  took 
leave,  much  gratified  with  this  personal  in- 
troduction to  a  celebrated  man,  of  whom  I 
had  heard  a  great  deal  when  a  boy  at  school ; 
his  system  of  chemistry — his  phlogiston  and 


anti-phlogiston  and  fixed  air — then  making 
much  noise,  and  leading  to  various  experi- 
ments upon  balloons,  etc.,  in  which  boys  at 
that  time,  and  I  amongst  others,  took  a  part. 
Upon  separating  from  Dr.  Ross  I  went  to 
the  house  where  the  Congress  held  its  meet- 
ings, situated  in  Chesnut  Street.  It  is  a  large 
and  handsome  building,  occupying  the  area 
of  an  extensive  court,  by  the  side  of  the 
street.  Two  folding-doors,  accessible  to  ev- 
erybody, led  me  at  once  into  the  hall  of  the 
National  Representatives,  who  were  then  sit- 
ting, and  engaged  in  debate.  I  stood  in  the 
space  reserved  for  strangers,  between  the  en- 
trance and  the  low  partition  which  separates 
it  from  the  part  occupied  by  the  members. 
This  space  was  small,  and  without  seats.  I 
was  surprised  to  find  so  little  accommodation 
for  the  public,  in  a  country  where  the  public 
was  supposed  to  be  especially  considered. 
There  might  possibly  be  more  room  allotted 
to  strangers  in  another  part  of  the  hall,  but  I 
did  not  observe  any  visitors,  excepting  such 
as  stood  near  me.  These  being  but  few,  I 
was  able  to  advance  at  once  to  the  partition. 
From  this  point  I  had  an  uninterrupted  view 
of  every  part  of  the  hall — I  may  say,  of  every 
member  of  the  Assembly,  for  one  of  the  ad- 

5° 


vantages  of  this  handsome  room  is,  that  the 
whole  of  it  is  visible  from  every  part. 

The  subject  of  debate,  when  I  entered,  was 
the  budget,  and  Mr.  Gallatin  was  speaking. 
Mr.  Gallatin  is  a  native  of  France  or  Switzer- 
land, but  had  long  resided  in  America,  and 
was  now  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  Repub- 
lic. He  was  one  of  the  principal  members  of 
the  opposition,  or  of  the  anti-federal  or  dem- 
ocratic party,  as  opposed  to  the  federal  sys- 
tem, of  which  General  Washington  was  the 
head.  Although  a  slow  and  rather  embar- 
rassed delivery,  as  well  as  a  peculiarity  of  ac- 
cent, showed  that  Mr.  Gallatin  did  not  speak 
his  native  language,  his  speech  discovered 
great  acuteness,  and  the  deep  knowledge  of 
the  finances  of  the  United  States  for  which 
he  was  especially  distinguished.  His  strong 
opposition  to  the  measures  of  Government, 
and  his  democratical  opinions,  had  lately 
drawn  upon  him  the  quills  of  Peter  Porcu- 
pine, a  satiric  writer,  who  at  this  time  at- 
tracted much  attention  in  America  by  his 
opposition,  in  a  popular,  sarcastic  style,  to 
the  opposers  of  the  existing  Constitution. 
This  writer,  however,  was  not  an  American 
subject,  but  the  Englishman  who  has  since 
been  so  much  less  advantageously  known,  in 


his  own  country,  by  his  real  name  of  William 
Cobbett.  Mr.  Gallatin  was  only  three  or  four 
yards  to  the  right  of  where  I  stood.  His  pro- 
file from  this  point,  the  thin,  sharp  outline  of 
a  Frenchman's  face,  his  inclined  attitude  tow- 
ards the  President  as  he  addressed  him,  and 
the  slow  perpendicular  movement  of  his  right 
arm,  "sawing  the  air,"  formed  a  portrait 
which  the  occasional  appearance  of  his  name 
in  public  affairs  always  brings  to  my  remem- 
brance. Mr.  Maddison,  an  eloquent  and  much- 
respected  member,  also  spoke  from  his  seat, 
a  little  to  the  right  of  the  President ;  and  Mr. 
William  Smith,  member  for  Baltimore,  one 
of  our  party  in  Fourth  Street,  who  defended 
the  measures  of  Government,  repelling  the 
animadversions  of  Mr.  Gallatin  with  much 
wit  and  severity.  I  recollect  a  few  of  his  sar- 
castic phrases. 

From  the  hall  of  the  Representatives,  I 
went  to  that  of  the  Senate,  or  Upper  Cham- 
ber, analogous,  in  its  position  in  the  state,  to 
the  British  House  of  Peers.  Mr.  Adams,  as 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  presided 
over  this  assembly.  He  was  seated  in  a 
raised  recess  on  one  side  of  the  hall,  which 
was  oblong,  and  much  smaller  than  that  of 
the  Representatives.  The  public  was  ad- 


mitted  to  a  raised  gallery,  which  extended 
the  whole  length  of  the  side  opposite  the 
President.  Here,  also,  I  heard  some  good 
speaking,  though  the  chief  orators  are  in  the 
other,  chamber.  In  both  assemblies  the 
members  had  desks  before  them,  on  which 
they  took  notes,  and  laid  their  papers ;  but 
their  speeches  were  extempore. 

I  dined  with  Dr.  Ross.  He  received  me  in 
his  study,  up  a  very  narrow  staircase.  The 
walls  of  the  room  were  entirely  covered  with 
books.  The  Doctor  introduced  me  to  Mr. 
Woolstencraft,  related  to  the  authoress  of 
that  name,  to  Dr.  or  Mr.  Boulman,  a  distin- 
guished Irishman,  and  to  Mr.  Cooper,  a 
young  American  who  had  recently  made  him- 
self known  by  his  writings.  Mr.  Dallas,  an 
eminent  English  barrister,  was  expected,  but 
sent  a  note  to  say  he  was  prevented  from 
coming.  Dinner  being  ready,  we  descended, 
to  a  room  under  the  study.  Mr.  Cooper  and 
the  Doctor's  other  guests  asked  many  ques- 
tions about  the  Hindoos,  the  Ganges,  the  cit- 
ies and  monuments  I  had  seen  in  the  north- 
ern parts  of  my  tour,  and  the  languages.  The 
Doctor's  announcement  that  I  spoke  three 
languages  of  India,  though  there  was  nothing 
extraordinary  in  the  fact,  seemed  to  cause 

53 


some  surprise.  After  dinner  Mr.  Dallas  came. 
He  expressed  particular  interest  about  India, 
in  which  country  some  of  his  family  had  re- 
sided. It  was  late  in  the  evening  before  this 
party,  containing  some  of  the  most  clever 
men  in  Philadelphia,  broke  up.  Although  I 
had  experienced  some  disappointment  in  not 
being  introduced  to  General  Washington  in 
the  morning,  I  had,  through  the  polite  at- 
tentions of  Dr.  Ross,  passed  a  most  pleasant 
day. 

i2th  April.  —  Breakfasted,  as  usual,  with 
the  Members  of  Congress,  with  whom  I  was 
now  upon  easy  terms.  As  we  stood  round 
the  fire,  one  of  these  gentlemen,  Mr.  Gallatin, 
examined  the  ends  of  my  muslin  neckcloth, 
and  much  surprise  was  expressed  when  I 
mentioned  the  cost  at  Santipore.  Many 
questions  were  asked  me  respecting  the 
qualities  and  prices  of  the  fabrics  of  India, 
and  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  lowness  of 
the  latter  suggested  the  idea  of  a  profitable 
speculation,  the  object  of  almost  every 
American  at  this  period. 

The  Vice-President  always  breakfasted  in 
his  own  room.  He  had  brought  a  man-ser- 
vant with  him  from  Boston,  but  the  negress 
had  the  care  of  his  chamber.  This  poor  girl, 


being  the  only  servant  in  the  house,  served 
everybody  and  did  everything.  Her  activity 
and  cheerful  diligence  were  surprising. 

In  the  forenoon  Dr.  Priestley  called.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  son,  who  also  had  a 
desire  to  see  the  skin  of  my  shawl  goat.  I 
accordingly  set  out  with  the  great  chemist 
and  his  son  Joseph.  We  continued  along 
Fourth  Street  till  we  came  to  Orchard  Street, 
one  of  the  streets  perpendicular  to  the  Dela- 
ware, and  turning  down  it,  arrived  at  the 
wharf  at  which  the  India  was  discharging 
her  cargo.  The  Doctor  noticed  the  skin  of 
my  poor  goat  with  much  interest,  turning 
back  the  long  hair  and  examining  the  downy 
wool  beneath  writh  much  attention.  He 
seemed  to  have  been  previously  impressed 
with  the  common  belief  that  the  cashmere 
shawl  was  made  from  the  ordinary  wool  of  a 
particular  race  of  sheep,  and  not  from  the 
remarkable  substance  he  now  saw,  or  the 
produce  of  a  goat.  The  Doctor,  being  a 
zealous  searcher  of  truth  and  fact,  was  evi- 
dently gratified  with  this  discovery ;  while, 
having  failed  in  my  attempt  to  take  the  dem- 
onstration of  an  important  problem  to  my 
own  country,  it  was  gratifying  to  me  to  be 
able  to  communicate  it  to  the  chief  naturalist 

55 


of  America.  I  thought  I  could  not  dispose 
of  this  curiosity  better  than  by  placing  it  in 
his  possession.  I  accordingly  requested  the 
Doctor  to  allow  one  of  the  sailors  to  carry  it 
to  his  house.  Although  he  yielded  to  this 
proposal  with  reluctance,  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  perceiving  that  it  afforded  him  pleas- 
ure. 

As  we  returned  through  the  city  I  was  de- 
sirous of  learning  if  the  Doctor  was  satisfied 
with  his  situation  in  a  country  which  pos- 
sessed no  man  eminent  for  science  since  the 
days  of  Franklin.  He  expressed  himself  sat- 
isfied with  the  attention  he  had  received 
from  the  American  Government,  which  had 
offered  him  the  professorship  of  chemistry. 
He  spoke  with  regard  of  Dr.  Ross,  whose 
society  apparently  best  supplied  the  loss  of 
Franklin,  of  Bishop  Watson,  and  Doctors 
Parr  and  Price,  the  friends  of  the  Doctor's 
earlier  life.  But  it  was  evident  that  his  satis- 
faction with  America,  which  had  received 
him,  had  not  effaced  his  attachment  to  his  na- 
tive country,  which  had  banished  him.  For 
Dr.  Priestley,  diverted  unfortunately  from 
his  philosophical  pursuits  by  the  French 
Revolution,  became  by  his  imprudence  one 
of  the  victims  of  that  unsparing  explosion. 
56 


Quitting  the  paths  of  science,  he  engaged  in 
the  political  and  metaphysical  discussions  of 
that  troubled  period,  and  was  soon  swept 
away  by  the  violence  of  a  storm  which,  but 
for  this  needless  exposure,  would  have  passed 
over  him.  The  infuriated  mob  of  Birming- 
ham, a  place  fostered  by  practical  science  and 
enriched  by  the  useful  arts,  broke  into  his 
house,  pillaged  his  extensive  library,  burnt 
his  valuable  manuscripts  and  the  notes  of  his 
unpublished  observations,  and  destroyed  his 
philosophical  apparatus.  These  lamentable 
acts  determined  the  Doctor  to  retire  to 
America.  Still,  it  was  so  evidently  his  desire 
to  return  to  England  whenever  the  passions 
of  the  moment  should  have  subsided,  that  I 
determined  to  ascertain  on  my  arrival  in 
London  how  far  such  a  step  would  be  expe- 
dient. 

ijth  April. — Hearing  that  the  Vermont  was 
about  to  sail  for  England,  I  write  by  her  to 
my  father.  Wishing  to  see  a  few  of  the  other 
principal  cities  of  America,  as  well  as  some- 
thing of  the  country,  I  decided  upon  an  ex- 
cursion as  far  as  Baltimore,  south  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  eventually  to  Washington,  the 
contemplated  metropolis  of  the  United  States, 
situated  on  the  Potomac.  At  the  latter  place 


I  should  find  an  East-Indian,  Mr.  Law,  for- 
merly of  the  Bengal  Civil  Establishment. 
Returning  to  England,  the  want  of  occupa- 
tion there  induced  him  to  visit  America.  At 
that  time  the  plan  of  building  a  new  metropo- 
lis, to  bear  the  name  of  Washington,  was 
under  consideration,  and  excited  much  specu- 
lation. Mr.  Law  had  become  acquainted  with 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  land  selected 
for  the  site  of  the  new  city,  and  confiding  in 
an  Act  of  Congress  already  passed  for  the 
transfer  of  the  seat  of  government,  had  made 
a  considerable  purchase  of  ground  from  this 
person .  It  was,  however,  considered  an  advent- 
ure of  much  risk,  for  doubt  was  entertained 
not  only  whether,  in  case  of  General  Washing- 
ton's death,  the  proposed  change  would  take 
place,  but  whether  the  removal  of  the  seat  of 
government  would  carry  with  it  the  augmen- 
tation of  commerce  and  population  which 
Mr.  Law  anticipated,  and  which  was  essential 
to  the  success  of  his  speculation.  T  this  af- 
ternoon took  my  place  in  the  stage-wagon 
for  Baltimore  for  the  following  morning. 

i4th. — At  ten  this  morning  the  negro  girl 
took  my  portmanteau  under  her  arm,  and 
accompanied  me  to  the  mail-wagon  office. 
At  half-past  ten  the  wagon  started  up  High 


Street,  passing  before  the  window  of  Dr. 
Priestley.  The  vehicle  was  a  long  car  with 
four  benches.  Three  of  these  in  the  interior 
held  nine  passengers,  and  a  tenth  passenger 
was  seated  by  the  side  of  the  driver  on  the 
front  bench.  A  light  roof  was  supported  by 
eight  slender  pillars,  four  on  each  side.  Three 
large  leather  curtains  suspended  to  the  roof, 
one  at  each  side  and  the  third  behind,  were 
rolled  up  or  lowered  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
passengers.  There  was  no  place  nor  space 
for  luggage,  each  person  being  expected  to 
stow  his  things  as  he  could  under  his  seat  or 
legs.  The  entrance  was  in  front,  over  the 
driver's  bench.  Of  course  the  three  passen- 
gers on  the  back  seat  were  obliged  to  crawl 
across  all  the  other  benches  to  get  to  their 
places.  There  were  no  backs  to  the  benches 
to  support  and  relieve  us  during  a  rough  and 
fatiguing  journey  over  a  newly  and  ill  made 
road.  It  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect 
perfection  in  the  arrangements  of  a  new 
country  ;  but  though  this  rude  conveyance 
was  not  without  its  advantages,  and  was 
really  more  suitable  to  the  existing  state  of 
American  roads  than  an  English  stage-coach 
would  have  been,  it  might  have  been  rendered 
more  convenient  in  some  respects  without 

59 


much  additional  expense.  Thus  a  mere  strap 
behind  the  seats  would  have  been  a  great 
comfort,  and  the  ponderous  leather  curtains, 
which  extended  the  whole  length  of  the  wag- 
on, would  have  been  much  more  convenient 
divided  into  two  or  three  parts,  and  with  a 
glass,  however  small,  in  each  division  to  give 
light  to  the  passengers  in  bad  weather,  and 
enable  them  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  coun- 
try. The  disposal  of  the  luggage  also  was 
extremely  incommodious,  not  only  to  the 
owner,  but  to  his  neighbors. 

We  were  quite  full,  having  ten  passengers 
besides  the  driver.  Upon  leaving  the  city  we 
entered  immediately  upon  the  country,  the 
transition  from  streets  to  fields  being  abrupt, 
and  not  rendered  gradual  by  detached  houses 
and  villas,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  London.  The 
fields,  however,  had  nothing  pleasing  about 
them,  being  crossed  and  separated  by  the 
numerous  intersections  of  the  intended 
streets,  and  surrounded  by  large  rough-hewed 
rails,  placed  zigzag,  instead  of  hedges.  We 
soon  reached  the  Schuylkyl,  a  small  river 
which  descends  from  the  Kittatany  moun- 
tains, in  the  back  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
enters  the  Delaware  seven  miles  below  Phila- 
delphia, after  a  course  of  about  120  miles. 
60 


We  crossed  it  upon  a  floating  bridge,  con- 
structed of  logs  of  wood  placed  by  the  side 
of  each  other  upon  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  planks  nailed  across  them.  Although 
this  bridge  floated  when  not  charged,  or 
charged  but  lightly,  the  weight  of  our  wag- 
on depressed  it  several  inches  below  the 
surface,  the  horses  splashing  through  the 
water,  so  that  a  foot-passenger  passing  at  the 
same  time  would  have  been  exposed  to  seri- 
ous inconvenience.  The  roughness  and  im- 
perfection of  this  construction  on  the  princi- 
pal line  of  road  in  America,  and  not  a  mile 
from  the  seat  of  government,  afforded  the  most 
striking  instance  I  had  yet  seen  of  the  little 
progress  the  country  had  hitherto  made  in 
the  improvements  of  civilization.  The  exist- 
ence of  such  a  bridge  seemed  the  more  sur- 
prising, as  it  completely  obstructed  the  navi- 
gation of  the  river,  which  would  otherwise, 
I  was  told,  admit  small  craft  as  high  as  Read- 
ing, nearly  eighty  miles  further  up.  I  men- 
tion this  instance  of  backwardness,  and  other 
deficiencies  of  a  similar  kind,  not  as  a  reproach 
to  America,  but  as  singular  facts,  exemplify- 
ing the  difficulties  and  necessarily  slow  ad- 
vancement of  a  new  country.  I  believe  there 
is  no  nation  that  would  have  done  more  in  so 

61 


short  a  time,  and  most  nations  would  assur- 
edly have  done  infinitely  less.  The  trans- 
planted branch  of  the  British  oak  had  already 
taken  root,  and  displayed  the  vigor  and 
strength  of  the  parent  stock.  It  was  flatter- 
ing to  an  Englishman  to  see  the  intelligence, 
energy,  and  enterprise  which  were  manifest. 
Everywhere  the  progress  of  improvement  was 
visible ;  everything  had  advanced,  and  was 
advancing.  The  bridge  of  planks  and  logs 
had  probably  succeeded  a  more  insecure  boat, 
and  would  certainly  in  a  few  years  be  replaced 
by  arches  of  brick  or  stone. 

The  sloping  banks  of  the  Schuylkyl  ap- 
peared to  offer  delightful  situations  for  villas 
and  country-houses,  whenever  the  wealth 
and  taste  of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia 
should  lead  them  to  the  imitation  of  Euro- 
pean indulgence,  unless  the  extension  of  the 
city  to  the  river  should  cover  its  borders 
with  wharfs  and  warehouses,  thus  realizing 
the  original  design  of  William  Penn. 

A  little  beyond  the  bridge  we  came  to  a 
turnpike  gate,  the  first  I  had  seen  since  leav- 
ing England.  It  was  interesting  on  this  ac- 
count, and  further  so,  as  showing  that  Amer- 
ica had  adopted  a  custom  of  the  mother 
country  which  Adam  Smith  cites  as  one  of 


the  most  equitable  examples  of  taxation,  the 
traveller  paying  for  an  evident  convenience 
and  in  proportion  as  he  enjoys  it.  It  was 
probable  that  the  tax  collected  here,  or  a 
part  of  it,  was  employed  in  securing  the  logs 
and  planks  of  the  bridge,  or  in  replacing 
such  as  were  carried  away  by  the  current — 
an  accident  which  seemed  likely  to  occur 
frequently. 

The  country  now  became  hilly  in  some 
degree,  and  from  the  days  of  my  journey  in 
Scotland  I  was  fond  of  hills.  These  were 
neither  long  nor  high,  but  they  presented 
some  steep  declivities,  down  which  the  wagon 
descended  at  a  great  rate,  for  not  only  was  it 
unprovided  with  a  drag  to  keep  it  back,  but 
it  seemed  to  be  the  principle  of  American 
driving  to  go  as  fast  as  possible  downhill  in 
order  to  make  up  for  the  slowness  inevitable 
on  all  other  parts  of  the  road.  This  road 
being  newly  and  roughly  formed,  furrowed 
with  ruts,  and  strewed  with  large  stones 
which  had  been  separated  from  the  mould 
or  gravel,  the  jolting  of  the  wagon  in  these 
rapid  descents  was  almost  insupportable, 
and  even  drew  forth  many  a  hard  exclama- 
tion from  my  companions,  accustomed  to 
it  as  they  were.  At  first  our  rapidity  on 
63 


these  occasions,  with  a  steep  declivity,  with- 
out rail  or  fence  of  any  sort  on  one  side, 
seemed  to  be  attended  with  no  trifling  de- 
gree of  danger ;  but  I  soon  found  that  the 
driver  managed  his  four  active  little  horses 
with  all  the  skill  of  an  English  coachman, 
although  he  had  little  the  appearance  of 
one,  having  neither  his  hat  on  one  side,  nor 
his  great-coat,  nor  his  boots,  but  a  coarse 
blue  jacket,  worsted  stockings,  and  thick 
shoes. 

When  eight  miles  from  Philadelphia  we 
passed  through  the  small  village  of  Derby, 
and  in  about  as  many  more  reached  Chester, 
the  end  of  the  first  stage.  An  English  trav- 
eller is  at  first  surprised  to  find  the  villages, 
often  clumps  of  houses,  of  America  bearing 
the  names  of  the  great  towns  or  cities  of 
England,  although  the  latter,  probably,  had 
a  beginning  equally  unimportant  and  dimin- 
utive. The  country  we  had  passed  through 
since  leaving  the  Schuylkyl  was,  for  the  most 
part,  cleared  of  its  ancient  woods,  at  least 
near  the  line  of  our  road,  and  cultivation  had 
commenced  ;  but  the  surface  of  the  land  was 
entangled  with  the  roots  of  trees,  and  cov- 
ered with  stones  which  the  plough  had  re- 
cently exposed  to  the  light  for  the  first  time, 
64 


and  with  clods  of  earth  not  yet  broken.  All 
the  enclosures  were  formed  in  the  manner 
already  described — that  is,  by  rough  bars  or 
rails  placed  one  above  another  in  a  zigzag 
direction.  The  few  farm-houses  visible  were 
also  formed  by  bars  or  logs  of  wood,  covered 
with  laths  and  plaster.  The  situation  of  the 
inhabitants  of  these  sequestered  dwellings 
did  not  appear  very  enviable,  though  it 
doubtless  had  its  charms,  or  its  recompense 
at  least.  Every  first  settler  in  a  new  country 
labors  less  for  the  present  than  for  the  future, 
for  himself  than  for  his  posterity,  and  it  is 
this  honorable  consciousness  that  invigorates 
his  toil,  cheers  his  solitude,  and  alleviates  his 
privations. 

As  we  rattled  down  a  steep  hill  leading  to 
Chester,  I  thought  there  was  a  fair  chance 
of  our  ending  the  first  stage  at  the  bottom 
of  a  precipice  on  our  left,  and  so  we  probably 
should  if  we  had  missed  stays;  but  when  with- 
in three  or  four  feet  of  the  edge,  the  driver 
went  cleverly  on  the  other  tack,  till  brought 
up  by  the  high  bank  on  that  side,  when  he 
again  put  about,  and  made  for  the  precipice, 
and  thus  by  great  skill  got  us  safe  to  the  inn 
at  the  bottom. 

Chester  is  a  small  town  of  no  present  iro- 

E  65 


portance  ;  but  its  situation  as  the  first  post 
or  stage  between  Philadelphia  and  the  South- 
ern States  seemed  to  insure  its  progressive 
extension  and  prosperity.  It  was  now  chiefly 
interesting  as  the  place  where  Penn,  having 
landed  at  Newark  with  his  Quakers,  and  the 
grant  of  Charles  the  Second,  bestowing  upon 
him  the  immense  tract  of  country  to  which 
he  here,  perhaps,  gave  his  name,  held  his  first 
assembly,  producing  his  authority,  and  ex- 
plaining, it  is  probable,  his  views  and  inten- 
tions. It  appears  that  some  Indians  still  re- 
tained their  possessions  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  that  their  chiefs  were  received 
with  kindness  at  this  meeting,  and  with  as- 
surances of  justice  and  protection.  Although 
such  assurances  are  generally  made  and  sel- 
dom observed,  one  is  willing  to  suppose  that 
Mr.  Penn  promised  no  more  than  he  meant 
to  perform  ;  but  it  is  painful  to  consider  that 
the  Indian  tribes,  instead  of  being  civilized 
and  improved  by  this  event,  were  gradually 
compelled  to  recede  before  the  influx  of 
European  nations,  carrying  their  original 
barbarism,  with  the  admixture,  perhaps,  of 
new  vices  and  disease,  to  other  settlements 
in  the  interior,  from  which  they  were  again 
dislodged  as  the  tide  of  intrusion  rolled  on. 

66 


It  is  possible  that  the  general  outline  of 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania  may  have  under- 
gone some  change  since  Penn  enrolled  his 
charter  in  the  village  of  Chester  in  1682  ;  but 
I  believe  the  limits  were  nearly  then  what 
they  are  now  (1796),  extending  from  the 
Delaware  to  the  shores  of  the  Ohio,  and  of 
Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario  —  a  vast  extent  of 
country  to  be  granted  to  one  individual, 
either  on  the  ground  of  service  rendered  the 
State  by  the  father  of  William  Penn,  or  as  a 
debt  due  to  the  latter  by  the  crown.  Of 
these  two  motives,  the  most  interested  one 
must,  perhaps,  be  considered  the  most  prob- 
able. We  naturally  wish  to  know  what  ad- 
vantages Penn  derived  from  his  great  acqui- 
sition, and  are  hardly  surprised  to  learn  that 
the  affairs  of  his  province  involved  him  in 
innumerable  disputes  and  difficulties,  and 
even  encroached  upon  his  private  fortune. 
He  died  in  the  year  1718  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-four. It  is  probable  that  his  name  is 
held  in  respect  by  the  "Friends"  of  Penn- 
sylvania; but  I  never  heard  it  mentioned  in 
general  society,  nor  observed  that  it  was 
common.  There  was  no  one  who  bore  it, 
either  in  the  national  representation  or  in 
the  provincial  assemblies  of  the  State. 


As  the  extreme  jolting  of  the  wagon  had 
caused  a  general  complaint  among  the  pas- 
sengers, and  the  inconvenience  might  be  ex- 
pected to  increase  as  we  got  further  from 
the  capital,  I  proposed  to  join  two  or  three 
of  the  party  in  hiring  some  other  convey- 
ance, but  found  that  the  wagon  was  the  only 
carriage  on  the  road.  Having  therefore 
changed  our  horses  for  four  others  of  the 
same  small  but  excellent  race,  we  resumed 
our  seats  upon  the  bare  planks,  and  contin- 
ued our  journey.  The  reserve  of  a  first  stage 
being  over,  the  passengers  became  rather 
clamorous.  They  were,  however,  most  po- 
lite towards  me,  exempting  me  from  their 
sallies  and  jokes.  Their  wit  was  particularly 
directed  against  a  "  Yankee "  who  was  one 
of  the  company.  We  apply  this  designation 
as  a  term  of  ridicule  or  reproach  to  the  in- 
habitants of  all  parts  of  the  United  States 
indiscriminately  ;  but  the  Americans  confine 
its  application  to  their  countrymen  of  the 
Northern  or  New  England  States,  and  more 
especially  to  those  of  Massachusetts. 

Four  miles  from  Chester  we  passed  through 
a  small  hamlet  called  Chichester,  and  soon 
after  quitted  the  fine  province  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  entered  the  small  State  of  Dela- 


ware,  forming  a  narrow  slip  along  the  right 
bank  of  the  Delaware  River  to  the  sea.  I  had 
had  a  view  of  the  whole  length  of  its  water 
boundary  as  I  sailed  up  the  Delaware  in  the 
India.^  The  part  of  this  little  district  which 
I  now  saw  appeared  to  have  a  pleasant  and 
healthy  elevation ;  but  the  lower  parts,  tow- 
ards the  shore  of  the  Atlantic,  contain  nu- 
merous fens  or  marshes  called  swamps.  One 
of  these,  called  the  Cypress  Swamp,  is  said  to 
be  twelve  miles  in  length  and  six  in  breadth. 

When  about  twelve  miles  from  Chester, 
passing  over  some  high  land  called  the 
Heights  of  Christiania,  we  descended  to  a 
creek  of  that  name,  and  soon  after  entered 
Wilmington,  which  I  have  already  mentioned 
(in  describing  our  passage  up  the  Delaware) 
as  the  principal  town  of  the  Delaware  State, 
although  Dover  is  the  seat  of  government 
— for  what  reason  I  do  not  know,  unless 
because  its  position  is  more  central,  a  very 
good  reason,  which  is  not  so  much  attended 
to  in  the  establishing  of  metropolitan  towns 
as  public  convenience  frequently  requires. 

Having  again  changed  horses,  we  reached 

the  Brandywine,  a  small  stream  which  flows 

from  the  Welch  Mountains,  in  the  interior 

of  Pennsylvania.     The  Brandywine  mills,  for 

69 


grinding  corn,  are  very  celebrated,  and  their 
great  neatness  and  flourishing  activity  had 
a  very  pleasing  appearance  from  the  road. 
Here  America  already  exhibited  a  spot  which 
might  be  compared  with  any  similar  scene  in 
England.  I  saw  some  small  craft,  of  appar- 
ently about  ten  or  fifteen  tons  ;  but  I  under- 
stood that  sloops  of  a  much  larger  size  could 
mount  the  stream  from  the  Delaware.  These 
mills  were  said  to  furnish  a  very  considerable 
part  of  the  best  flour  consumed  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

I  was  glad  that  my  presence  did  not  pre- 
vent my  fellow-travellers  from  speaking  with 
much  enthusiasm  of  an  action  fought  here, 
during  the  late  war,  between  the  American 
troops  and  the  British  forces  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Clinton.  I  cannot  find  a 
note  I  have  somewhere  of  the  particulars  of 
this  engagement.  But  the  American  army, 
commanded  by  General  Washington,  defend- 
ed the  passage  of  the  Brandy  wine  with  great 
bravery,  and  indeed  with  success,  till  out- 
flanked and  turned  by  Lord  Cornwallis,  who 
crossed  the  river  higher  up.  The  British 
troops  advanced,  and  took  possession  of  Phil- 
adelphia. It  appeared  to  me  that  the  banks 
of  the  Schuylkyl  might  have  offered  another 


point  of  defence,  but  they  doubtless  did  not. 
Indeed,  the  situation  of  the  American  army 
might  have  been  too  critical,  with  the  Dela- 
ware in  its  rear,  unless  it  had  been  possible 
to  secure  its  retreat  by  a  bridge  of  boats 
across  that  river.  But  although  the  Ameri- 
can capital  was  thus  lost  on  the  Brandywine, 
the  Americans  consider  that  day,  so  calami- 
tous to  their  cause;  as  highly  honorable  to 
their  arms.  It  is  a  circumstance  creditable 
to  the  talents  of  a  general,  and  to  the  gener- 
osity of  the  nation  he  serves,  when  he  can 
sustain  defeat  without  losing  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  his  countrymen.  It  may  also 
be  considered  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  such 
contests  between  a  disciplined  army  and  ir- 
regular troops,  that  the  latter  often  gain 
glory  in  defeat,  while  victory  is  hardly  glori- 
ous to  their  opponent. 

We  next  changed  horses  at  Newark,  and 
completed  our  day's  journey,  soon  after  sun- 
set, at  Head  of  Elk,  the  name  given  to  a  few 
houses  situated  upon  the  Elk  River,  which  we 
crossed  in  a  boat,  hauling  upon  a  rope  stretch- 
ed across  it.  Here  again  it  was  easy  to  con- 
template a  future  bridge.  It  was  not,  as  in 
India,  where  the  surplus  revenue  of  the  coun- 
try was  sent  out  of  it,  without  being  counter- 
71 


balanced  by  any  return.  Here,  this  surplus 
would  be  expended  in  the  country,  whose 
property  indeed  it  was,  in  national  improve- 
ments. America  was  a  farm,  in  which  the 
produce  was  spent  upon  the  land  ;  India,  one 
in  which  even  stubble  was  carried  from  it. 

During  the  last  stage  we  had  passed  the 
White  and  Red  Clay  creeks.  At  the  latter, 
General  Washington  had  attempted  to  make 
a  stand  against  the  royal  army  which  the 
British  fleet  had  brought  from  New  York, 
and  landed  at  the  head  of  Chesapeak  Bay, 
not  far  from  the  place  where  we  now  stopped 
for  the  night.  After  the  roughest  journey  I 
had  ever  had,  a  good  supper  and  bed  would 
have  been  very  acceptable,  but  nothing  could 
well  be  worse  than  the  provision  made  for 
the  travellers  in  both  these  respects.  After 
a  sparing  and  ill-dressed  repast,  which  drew 
forth  bitter  words,  and  more  than  words,  from 
the  Yankee  and  most  of  his  countrymen,  we 
were  conducted,  one  following  another,  up  a 
narrow  staircase,  little  better  than  a  ladder, 
and  all,  to  my  utter  despair,  shut  in  one  room, 
upon  whose  floor — which,  by-the-bye,  appear- 
ed to  have  little  benefited  by  its  proximity 
to  the  waters  of  the  Chesapeak — were  placed 
a  few  rude,  unfurnished  bedsteads,  without 
72 


curtains,  ranged  one  close  to  'another,  like 
cots  in  a  soldiers'  barrack.  Whether,  how- 
ever, it  was  my  very  good-fortune,  or  the  po- 
liteness of  the  Americans,  whose  attentions 
I  had^  received  along  the  road,  I  could  not 
tell,  but  it  so  happened  that  in  the  distribu- 
tion and  coupling  which  took  place  I  re- 
mained without  a  partner,  being  the  only 
one,  I  believe,  who  had  this  invaluable  priv- 
ilege. I  was  so  sensible  of  the  advantage  I 
had  obtained  that  I  should  have  been  glad 
to  enjoy  it  a  little  longer  the  next  morning ; 
but  at  half-past  two  the  tawny  girl  (slave,  I 
fear  I  might  call  her)  who  had  lighted  us 
up-stairs,  reappeared  with  a  candle  in  her 
hand,  and  announced  that  the  wagon  would 
soon  be  ready. 

At  three  o'clock,  with  no  other  light  than 
what  was  afforded  by  the  twinkling  of  the 
stars,  the  wagon  and  everything  it  contained, 
the  passengers  on  the  hard  seats,  their  port- 
manteaus under  them,  were  once  more  liter- 
ally in  motion,  for  the  road  was  far  from  im- 
proving as  we  advanced  into  the  State  of 
Maryland,  which  we  had  entered  the  pre- 
ceding afternoon.  Soon  after  leaving  the 
inn  we  crossed  another  small  stream,  called 
Elk  Creek.  It  is  the  union  of  this  with  the 

73 


rivulet  we  had  passed  the  evening  before 
that  forms  the  larger  stream,  at  the  head  of 
which  the  foundations  of  a  future  town  have 
been  so  judiciously  laid.  This  spot,  covered 
by  the  two  streams  whose  junction  opens  a 
communication  with  the  Chesapeak  in  front, 
would  in  Europe  probably  have  been  chosen 
for  a  military  position.  But  such  advantages, 
happily,  did  not  enter  into  the  calculations 
of  the  Americans,  who,  not  having  to  in- 
trench themselves  against  the  jealousy  or 
ambition  of  surrounding  nations,  directed 
their  attention  to  situations  the  most  favor- 
able to  the  establishments  of  agriculture  and 
commerce,  of  peace,  and  not  of  war.  They 
chose  a  rivulet,  not  to  defend  a  bastion,  but 
to  turn  a  mill. 

We  proceeded  very  slowly  till  break  of 
day,  and  not  very  fast  after,  the  road  being 
exceedingly  deep  and  rough,  often  quitting 
what  appeared  to  be  the  intended  line,  and 
winding,  for  a  fresh  and  firmer  bottom, 
through  the  partially  cleared  forest  on  either 
side,  the  driver,  with  great  dexterity,  guiding 
his  horses  round  the  stumps  of  trees,  going 
over  such  roots  as  would  only  shake  us  a 
little,  and  avoiding  others  that  would  be 
likely  to  overturn  us.  The  fields  of  such 


parts  as  were  cleared  were  always  surrounded 
by  the  zigzag  fence  of  bars.  The  planting  of 
hedges  had  not  yet  commenced,  all  refine- 
ment in  agriculture,  as  in  other  things,  being 
reserved  for  a  more  advanced  stage  of  society, 
when  population  should  be  more  abundant, 
labor  cheaper,  and  public  taste  more  im- 
proved. It  would,  however,  have  been  an 
easy  and  cheap  embellishment  of  the  coun- 
try, if  a  few  of  the  fine  trees  of  the  ancient  for- 
ests had  been  allowed  to  remain,  if  not  in  the 
fields,  at  least  in  the  line  of  the  future  hedge- 
rows. But  all  the  trees  being  cut  down,  about 
three  feet  above  the  ground,  the  openings 
left  in  the  forests  were  extremely  unpictu- 
resque,  the  enclosures  having  the  appearance 
of  large  sheep-pens.  Although  the  remain- 
ing stumps  of  the  trees  rendered  the  fields 
most  unsightly,  and,  obstructing  the  plough, 
obliged  the  farmer  to  leave  much  ground  un- 
cultivated, they  would  probably,  remain  un- 
disturbed until  the  decay  of  their  roots  should 
facilitate  their  removal.  For  in  a  new  coun- 
try, as  America  now  was,  land  is  cheap  and 
labor  dear ;  but  as  the  nation  advances  tow- 
ards maturity,  the  reverse  becomes  the  case, 
labor  growing  abundant,  and  the  value  of  the 
produce  of  the  earth  rising  with  the  demands 

75 


of  an  extended  population.  Perhaps  the 
happiest  point  for  a  country  is  the  medium 
between  these  extremities. 

Soon  after  sunrise  we  crossed  a  river  on 
which  Charlestown  is  situated,  two  miles 
lower,  at  its  junction  with  the  Chesapeak, 
and  at  nine  o'clock  reached  the  banks  of  the 
Susquehannah,  where  we  found  a  boat  ready 
to  take  us  over  to  Havre  de  Grace,  on  the 
opposite  side.  As  we  pulled  upon  the  rope 
stretched  across  this  rapid  stream,  I  contem- 
plated, with  peculiar  pleasure,  the  ancient 
woods  which  still  threw  their  broad  shadow 
upon  its  surface.  I  was  greatly  struck  with 
the  wild  poetic  cast  of  this  enchanting  spot, 
all  the  features  of  which  were  as  Indian  as 
its  name,  excepting,  indeed,  the  new-built 
town  of  Havre  de  Grace,  whose  white  houses 
on  the  southern  shore  had  supplanted  the 
wigwams  of  the  Susquehannah  tribes,  and  in- 
terrupted the  magnificent  line  of  foliage. 

I  could  not  but  feel  a  great  desire  to  remain 
longer  amidst  such  scenery,  and  explore  the 
further  beauties  which  the  course  of  the  Sus- 
quehannah would  probably  disclose.  This 
river,  however,  though  one  of  the  largest 
that  run  into  the  Chesapeak,  is  not  of  very 
great  length,  since  its  sources  are  in  the  Al- 
76 


leghany  Mountains,  in  the  upper  parts  of  the 
States  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  three  hundred  miles.  Al- 
though much  obstructed,  in  this  course,  by 
falls  and  rapids,  it  is  navigable,  or,  as  the 
Americans  say,  boatable,  down  the  stream, 
nearly  from  its  rise  ;  but  sloops  and  sea-craft 
can  ascend  it  only  three  or  four  miles  above 
Havre,  being  there  stopped  by  some  rapids. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  many  of  these  im- 
pediments will  hereafter  be  removed,  or 
avoided  by  means  of  locks  and  canals  and 
other  contrivances,  and  that  a  navigable  com- 
munication may  connect  the  Chesapeak,  the 
great  Atlantic  lake,  with  the  chain  of  lakes 
in  the  north,  and  with  the  Ohio  and  Mohawk 
rivers,  and  thus  by  the  Mississippi  and  Hud- 
son, into  which  these  rivers  respectively  flow, 
with  New  Orleans  and  New  York.  Such  are 
the  gigantic  schemes  of  this  aspiring  people. 
It  is,  perhaps,  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the 
nation  which,  even  in  the  first  years  of  its 
political  existence,  has  the  genius  to  form 
such  projects,' and  the  patriotism  to  dwell 
upon  them  with  confidence  and  enthusiasm, 
has  already  established  the  probability  of 
their  execution.  None  of  my  companions 
had  followed  the  banks  of  the  Susquehannah, 


but  I  understood  from  them  that  its  greatest 
beauties  were  at  the  passage  of  one  of  its 
branches  through  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 
Its  width,  on  reaching  the  Chesapeak  about 
two  miles  from  Havre,  was  said  to  exceed  a 
mile.  I  always  experience  great  difficulty  in 
judging  of  the  width  of  rivers,  but  the  Sus- 
quehannah,  at  our  ferry,  did  not  appear  to 
me  to  be  so  broad  as  the  Thames  at  Twick- 
enham. 

At  the  best  inn  I  had  yet  seen  in  America, 
neat,  clean,  and  pleasantly  situated,  we  found 
a  good  and  abundant  breakfast  ready  for  us, 
consisting  of  tea,  coffee,  eggs,  and  cold  meat. 
Here  seemed  to  be  another  instance  of  that 
degree  of  improvement  to  which  everything, 
probably,  was  advancing,  though  often  imper- 
ceptibly, and  with  uneven  steps ;  and  not 
with  the  premature  precipitancy  unreason- 
ably expected  by  too  many  travellers  from 
other  countries. 

Our  next  stage  was  to  Harford  Bush,  a 
very  small  town,  but  pleasantly  and  advan- 
tageously situated  upon  an  inlet  of  the  Ches- 
apeak, here  about  ten  miles  in  width.  In 
some  parts  of  this  noble  bay,  particularly  be- 
low the  junction  of  the  Potomac,  the  width 
exceeds  twenty  miles.  Its  length,  in  a  north- 
78 


erly  direction,  from  Cape  Henry  in  Virginia 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Susquehannah,  is  nearly 
three  hundred  miles.  Its  depth,  and  the  facil- 
ity it  offers  to  navigation,  may  be  inferred 
from  ^the  circumstance,  already  mentioned, 
that  the  British  fleet  sailed  up  it  and  landed 
the  army  at  its  northern  extremity,  near  the 
Head  of  Elk.  It  would  be  pleasing  to  imag- 
ine the  extraordinary  sight  which  such  a  fleet 
on  the  basin  of  the  Chesapeak  must  have 
presented,  if  it  could  be  detached  from  the 
lamentable  cause  connected  with  it.  A  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States  may,  without  much 
generosity,  forgive  injuries  from  which  his 
country  derives  its  being ;  but  an  Englishman 
can  scarcely  revert  to  the  same  acts  without 
a  painful  sense  of  imprudence  and  injustice. 

While  the  numerous  bays  and  inlets  of  the 
Chesapeak  and  the  streams  which  run  into  it 
on  either  side  seemed  favorable  to  commerce, 
its  waters  were  said  to  afford  excellent  fish, 
and  also  the  celebrated  canvas-back  duck,  of 
which  I  had  heard  much  on  board  the  India, 
as  well  as  since  my  arrival  in  America,  with- 
out having  yet  had  an  opportunity  of  forming 
my  own  opinion  of  its  merits. 

Having  changed  horses  at  Harford  Bush, 
we  went  on  to  Joppa,  passing  in  our  way  the 

79 


Gunpowder  River.  Journeying  over  the  same 
wild  country,  woods  in  their  primitive  state, 
or  partially  cleared,  with  now  and  then  a  log- 
house,  the  appearance  of  which,  unsurrounded 
by  society  or  resources,  was  more  dismal  than 
cheering,  we  came  to  the  small  hamlet  of 
Kingsbury,  and  at  four  in  the  afternoon 
reached  Baltimore. 

We  drove  in  good  style  into  the  court-yard 
of  the  "  Indian  Queen,"  a  large  inn  of  very 
respectable  appearance.  It  formed  one  of  the 
angles  between  Market  and  Queen  streets, 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  town,  and  had  an  ex- 
tensive front  in  each  street. 

I  could  not  separate  from  my  companions 
without  taking  leave  of  them  all,  and  ac- 
knowledging the  polite  attentions  they  had 
shown  me  ;  for  though  a  total  want  of  re- 
serve amongst  themselves  almost  degenerat- 
ed sometimes  into  coarseness,  their  behavior 
towards  me  was  uniformly  obliging.  Soon 
after  I  had  taken  possession  of  my  quarters, 
a  small  room  with  a  very  small  bed,  fronting, 
at  my  desire,  the  principal  street,  I  was  told 
that  dinner  was  ready,  and  was  shown  into 
the  largest  room  I  had  ever  seen  in  any  hotel 
even  in  England.  It  extended  the  whole 
depth  of  the  house,  from  Queen  Street  to  the 
80 


great  court-yard,  and  was  divided  along  the 
middle  by  a  broad  fixed  table,  nearly  as  long 
as  the  room  itself.  I  found  a  large  party  as- 
sembled, or  assembling,  consisting  almost  en- 
tirely of  travellers  and  lodgers  in  the  house, 
and  not  of  residents  in  the  town,  for  anti- 
Britannic  as  the  Americans  are  in  their  polit- 
ical feelings,  they  have  the  domestic  propen- 
sities of  their  ancestors,  every  man  dining 
with  his  family,  if  he  has  one.  After  the 
dinner,  which  was  composed  principally  of 
large  joints  of  meat  and  dishes  of  vegetables, 
served  more  in  abundance  than  variety,  each 
person  rose  when  he  pleased  and  retired  with- 
out ceremony,  much  as  in  India.  I  was  glad 
to  avail  myself  of  this  freedom  in  order  to  see 
something  of  Baltimore  that  evening. 

I  accordingly  walked  down  the  principal 
street,  which  had  a  gentle  slope  from  the 
country,  a  little  above  the  "  Indian  Queen," 
and  turning  when  near  the  bottom  of  it  to 
the  right,  through  some  smaller  streets,  came 
to  the  Port,  an  extensive  basin  formed  by  the 
Patapsco  River,  before  it  reaches  the  Chesa- 
peak ;  or  perhaps  it  may  as  reasonably  be 
considered  an  inlet  of  the  Chesapeak,  into 
which  the  Patapsco  discharges  itself.  I  here 
saw  many  ships  and  sea-vessels  of  various 


descriptions.  Some  were  in  the  stream,  others 
against  the  wharfs  which  lined  the  shore,  and 
there  seemed  room  for  a  much  larger  num- 
ber, the  width  of  the  basin  appearing  to  me 
to  be  at  least  a  mile,  and  its  length  towards 
the  Chesapeak  much  more.  The  advantages 
of  the  position  were  so  evident  that  it  was 
not  surprising  it  should  have  been  early  se- 
lected for  the  foundation  of  a  commercial 
city.  The  Port  seemed  effectually  defended 
by  a  small  fort  called  Fort  Henry.  Unfort- 
unately there  is  an  insufficient  depth  of  water 
close  to  the  town,  so  that  a  ship  with  a  full 
and  heavy  cargo  on  board  cannot  come  along- 
side the  wharfs,  as  the  India  did  at  Phila- 
delphia. But  this  objection  does  not  apply 
to  a  part  a  little  lower  down,  called  Fell's 
Point,  where  consequently  many  houses  and 
warehouses  are  already  built,  and  to  which 
Baltimore  is  rapidly  extending. 

As  I  returned  up  the  town  by  another 
street  I  passed  by  the  house  of  Mr.  Gilmore, 
whose  son  had  made  the  voyage  to  Calcutta 
in  the  India,  and  returned  with  me  in  that 
ship.  It  was  a  large,  square,  detached  man- 
sion, the  handsomest  I  had  yet  observed  in 
Baltimore.  I  deferred  calling  upon  young 
Mr.  Gilmore  till  the  next  day.  After  strolling 
82 


about  till  dark  I  returned  to  the  "  Indian 
Queen,"  and  spent  a  little  time  in  the  great 
room  before  going  to  bed. 

Sunday. — On  returning  to  the  public  hall 
this  morning  I  found  several  persons  at  break- 
fast at  the  long  table,  each  in  his  own  way. 
By  the  side  of  the  room  was  a  table  plenti- 
fully charged  with  cold  meat,  to  which  most 
of  the  company  seemed  to  have  recourse. 
Some  had  hot  beefsteaks.  After  breakfast  I 
walked  up  Market  Street,  which,  however, 
did  not  extend  far  in  that  direction,  but  the 
ground  was  marked  for  carrying  the  town 
further.  The  houses  here  were  larger  and 
handsomer  in  general  than  in  the  lower 
streets,  but  all  were  nearly  upon  the  same 
plan,  being  built  of  red  brick,  having  two  or 
three  windows  in  front,  and  three  ranges 
of  rooms  or  stories  in  height,  of  which  the 
lowest  was  generally  occupied  by  the  shop 
and  the  passage,  and  the  two  above  by  sit- 
ting-rooms and  bedrooms.  The  street  was 
well  paved,  and  had  a  good  foot-pavement  on 
each  side.  I  walked  through  several  other 
streets,  nearly  all  of  the  same  appearance,  but 
not  intersecting  each  other  with  the  same 
symmetrical  regularity  as  at  Philadelphia. 
There  was  also  a  striking  difference  in  the 
83 


moral  aspect  of  the  two  cities,  Baltimore  not 
having  the  dull  uniformity  which  the  dress 
and  manners  of  a  Quaker  population  gave  to 
the  metropolis. 

I  went  into  a  church  in  one  of  the  streets 
to  the  left  of  Market  Street.  It  was  a  large, 
commodious  building,  with  the  exterior  rath- 
er of  a  chapel,  being  built  of  red  brick,  and 
having  neither  tower  nor  steeple.  The  inte- 
rior arrangement  and  the  service  were  nearly 
those  of  an  English  church. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  the  "  Indian 
Queen,"  while  preparing  for  my  visit  to  Mr. 
Gilmore,  I  was  informed  that  the  Danish 
Consul  had  called  to  see  me.  I  was  sur- 
prised, having  no  knowledge  of  any  one  at 
Baltimore  excepting  young  Mr.  Gilmore. 
Upon  going  to  the  great  room,  where  the 
Consul  was  waiting,  this  gentleman  intro- 
duced himself  to  me  as  Mr.  Barry,  saying  he 
had  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Law  of  Wash- 
ington, who  had  hoped  to  meet  me  himself 
at  Baltimore,  but  not  being  able  to  set  out  so 
soon  as  he  had  expected,  had  written  about 
me  to  him.  When  I  announced  to  Mr.  Law 
my  intention  of  visiting  him,  I  received  a 
most  polite  and  pressing  invitation,  but  did 
not  suppose  he  would  carry  his  attentions 
84 


further.  Mr.  Barry,  whom  I  found  a  very 
gentlemanly  man,  was  extremely  civil,  offer- 
ing me,  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  his  ser- 
vices during  my  stay  in  Baltimore. 

When  Mr.  Barry  had  left  me,  I  walked 
down  the  town  to  the  house  that  had  been 
pointed  out  to  me,  the  evening  before,  as  Mr. 
Gilmore's.  My  shipmate  seemed  very  glad 
to  see  me  again,  and  leaving  me  for  two  or 
three  minutes,  returned  to  the  parlor  with 
his  father,  Mrs.  Gilmore,  two  sisters,  and  an 
elder  and  younger  brother.  All  this  fine  fam- 
ily received  me  with  as  much  attention  as  if 
I  had  rendered  some  essential  service  to  Mr. 
W.  Gilmore,  which  was  by  no  means  the  case. 
The  respectable  old  gentleman  insisted  upon 
my  coming  to  dine  with  him  that  day,  which 
I  accordingly  did,  and  passed  the  evening 
most  agreeably,  discovering  no  difference 
whatever  between  an  American  and  an  Eng- 
lish fireside.  On  this  occasion,  as  on  many 
others,  I  found  the  information  I  had  col- 
lected in  different  parts  of  India,  respecting 
the  manufactures  and  commerce  of  that  coun- 
try, very  useful,  inasmuch  as  it  enabled  me 
to  make  acceptable  communications  upon 
these  subjects.  By  a  commercial  treaty  lately 
concluded  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
85 


United  States,  under  the  auspices  of  Lord 
Grenville  and  Mr.  Jay,  American  ships  were 
allowed  to  trade  with  the  East  India  Com- 
pany's possessions.  The  consequence  was, 
that  the  American  merchants  had  their  at- 
tention at  this  time  very  much  directed  to 
this  new  and  promising  branch  of  commerce ; 
and  Mr.  Gilmore,  one  of  the  principal  mer- 
chants of  Baltimore,  and  already  holding  a 
share  in  the  India,  was  glad  to  be  informed 
of  the  names,  qualities,  prices,  and  places  of 
manufacture  of  such  fabrics  of  the  interior  of 
India  as  were  suited  to  the  American  market. 
Mr.  Gilmore  was  surprised  to  find  so  great  a 
difference  between  the  original  cost  of  many 
sorts  of  goods,  and  the  prices  exacted  from 
the  inexperience  of  American  captains  and 
supercargoes  at  Calcutta.  I  suggested  a 
mode  by  which  better  assortments  might  be 
procured,  at  a  reduction  of  ten  per  cent,  on 
the  prices  now  paid. 

Monday. — I  had  not  long  returned  to  my 
own  room  after  breakfast  this  morning  before 
I  was  told  that  a  gentleman  had  called  upon 
me,  and  was  waiting  in  the  passage  below. 
When  I  was  within  a  few  steps  of  the  bottom 
of  the  stairs,  a  gentleman  advanced  hastily 
to  meet  me,  and  taking  me  warmly  by  the 

86 


hand,  said,  "  I  am  sure  you  are  Mr.  Thomas 
Twining,  you  are  so  like  your  father."  This 
unceremonious  stranger  was  Mr.  Law,  just 
arrived  from  Washington.  I  took  him  into 
a  parlor  on  the  ground  floor,  and  there  we 
had  a  long  conversation  about  India,  where 
he  still  had  many  friends.  After  a  very 
pleasant  interview,  he  invited  me  to  dine 
with  him  that  day,  at  Mr.  Barry's,  with  whom 
he  was  staying :  he  would  then,  he  said,  in- 
troduce me  to  Mrs.  Law,  who  had  accom- 
panied him  from  Washington. 

Being  unwell  this  forenoon,  I  was  recom- 
mended to  Dr.  Jamieson,  a  physician,  or 
rather  an  apothecary  with  that  title,  who 
lived  a  few  doors  above  the  "  Indian  Queen," 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  way.  He  had  a 
considerable  reputation,  and  was,  at  least,  a 
sensible,  agreeable  man.  The  circumstance 
of  my  coming  from  Bengal  seemed  to  interest 
him  much.  I  dined  with  the  Danish  Consul. 
Mr.  Law  introduced  me  to  Mrs.  Law,  with 
whom  I  was  much  pleased.  She  was  grand- 
daughter of  Mrs.  Washington,  the  President's 
lady. 

Tuesday. — Had  a  very  friendly  visit  this 
morning  from  Dr.  Jamieson,  who  expressed 
a  wish  to  introduce  me  to  his  family.  Called 
87 


upon    Mr.   Law,   and   afterwards    upon    Mr. 
Gilmore. 

Wednesday.  —  Mr.  Gilmore  and  his  son 
called  this  morning  to  let  me  know  that  the 
ship  Polly  was  about  to  sail  for  Bengal.  As 
soon  as  they  had  left  me  I  wrote  to  the  Resi- 
dent of  Santipore  to  inform  him  of  my  arrival 
in  America ;  I  had  written  to  him  from  the 
banks  of  the  Jumna ;  I  now  addressed  him 
from  those  of  the  Patapsco.  Two  English 
gentlemen  called  upon  me  soon  after  I  had 
finished  my  letter.  They  came,  they  said,  at 
the  desire  of  the  St.  George's  Society  at  Bal- 
timore, to  request  my  company  at  their  An- 
niversary dinner,  the  next  day,  it  being  St. 
George's  day.  Not  long  after  these  gentle- 
men had  left  me  I  received  a  visit  from 
Mr.  Law,  who  called  to  accompany  me  to  Mr. 
Edward  Thornton,  the  British  Consul.  Mr. 
Thornton  received  me  with  much  politeness, 
and  after  some  inquiries  about  India  asked 
me  if  I  was  related  to  Mr.  Daniel  Twining, 
of  Pembroke  Hall,  Cambridge.  He  said 
that  he  himself  had  formerly  belonged  to 
that  College,  and  that  he  had,  in  conse- 
quence, still  some  claims  upon  it,  to  which 
his  absence  from  England  had  prevented  his 
attending.  I  said  I  should  probably  go  to 


Pembroke  to  see  my  brother,  and  would  will- 
ingly deliver  any  letter  or  message  to  the 
master  of  the  College.  Mr.  Thornton  said 
he  would  give  me  a  letter  for  the  master,  Dr. 
Turner. 

At  dinner  to-day,  at  the  great  table,  some 
travellers  from  Virginia  sat  opposite  to  me. 
Finding  I  had  some  intention  of  visiting  that 
state,  they  jokingly  advised  me  to  be  on  my 
guard  against  the  Virginian  practice  of  goug- 
ing, by  which  a  man  dexterously  forces  out 
the  eye  of  another  with  whom  he  quarrels. 
I  expressed  the  difficulty  I  had  in  believing 
that  this  practice  could  be  so  common  as 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Northern  States  rep- 
resented it  to  be.  One  of  the  party  observed 
that  if  I  went  as  far  as  Alexandria,  as  I 
talked  of  doing,  I  should  see  persons  who 
had  lost  an  eye  in  the  manner  alluded  to. 
Upon  my  observing  that  I  could  not  conceive 
how  this  operation  could  be  so  easily  accom- 
plished, he  said  that  if  I  wished  it  he  would 
soon  show  me.  Expressing  my  consent,  he 
rose,  and,  walking  round  the  end  of  the  table, 
came  towards  me.  Having  seated  myself  a 
little  way  from  the  table,  he  placed  himself 
before  me,  laid  hold  of  the  hair  by  the  side 
of  my  head,  and  twisting  his  fingers  well  in 


it,  brought  his  thumb  to  the  corner  of  my 
eye,  against  which  he  pressed  with  a  force, 
or  rather  with  a  command,  that  satisfied  me 
of  the  possibility  of  removing  an  eye  from 
the  socket  in  this  manner.  When  he  had 
disentangled  his  fingers  from  my  hair,  and  I 
was  at  liberty,  there  was  a  jocular  expression 
of  satisfaction  amongst  the  company,  and 
some  gentlemen  assured  me  afterwards  that 
they  were  glad  to  see  me  safe  out  of  the 
Virginian's  hands. 

There  exists  a  hostile,  or,  at  least,  an  un- 
friendly spirit  between  many  of  the  States 
composing  the  American  Union;  but  this 
sentiment  is  more  intense  and  uncharitable, 
assuming  almost  the  character  of  fixed  an- 
tipathy, between  the  Northern  and  Southern 
States.  It  seemed,  indeed,  that  the  citizens 
of  Massachusetts,  and  those  of  Georgia, 
Carolina,  and  Virginia  are  distinguishable  by 
very  opposite  qualities.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  former  are  considered  prudent,  moral, 
diligent ;  but  with  more  industry  than  genius. 
The  native  of  Virginia  is  generous,  improvi- 
dent, choleric,  eloquent ;  but  manifesting  in 
his  pursuits  more  genius  than  morality  or  ex- 
ertion. His  general  character  seems  to  assim- 
ilate him  more  to  a  native  of  Ireland  or  of 
9o 


France  than  of  England,  and  the  Virginian, 
who  conceals  not  his  repugnance  to  the 
English,  from  whom  indeed  his  country  ex- 
perienced much  violence  during  the  war, 
would  not  perhaps  object  to  this  classifica- 
tion. But  the  chief  and  least- disputed  re- 
proach to  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  South- 
ern States  are  liable,  is  that  of  dissipation, 
susceptibility  of  offence,  and  gambling.  They 
are  extremely  fond  of  cock-fighting  and 
other  cruel  sports,  and  their  passion  for 
gaming  is  said  to  be  without  restraint.  In 
their  frequent  duels  they  sometimes  fight 
with  muskets,  and  in  their  common  affrays 
they  gouge  and  commit  other  barbarities. 
The  character  of  the  Middle  States,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  the  Jerseys,  and  Mary- 
land, seems  to  be  a  modification  of  the  ex- 
tremes which  distinguish  the  provinces  of  the 
north  and  south.  It  would,  however,  be 
very  unreasonable  to  consider  such  a  geo- 
graphical distribution  of  the  virtues  and  de- 
fects of  a  nation  as  minutely  correct ;  but 
this  outline  may  perhaps  possess  sufficient 
resemblance  to  give  some  idea  of  the  char- 
acteristic features  which  distinguish  the 
moral  physiognomy  of  certain  sections  of 
the  United  States. 


2jd  April, — I  this  morning  received  a 
visit  from  the  British  Consul.  In  the  after- 
noon I  dined  with  the  St.  George's  Society 
in  the  great  room  in  which  they  held  their 
meetings.  I  was  received  by  the  President 
and  Vice-President,  who  introduced  me  to 
several  members  of  the  Society.  Although 
the  party  was  limited  to  English,  Irish,  and 
Scotch,  the  numbers  filled  a  table  which  ex- 
tended nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  room. 
The -President,  on  taking  the  chair,  placed 
me  on  his  right  hand,  opposite  Mr.  Thorn- 
ton, who  sat  on  his  left.  After  a  very  hand- 
some dinner,  the  healths  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States  and  of  the  King  of  Eng- 
land, and  other  toasts,  were  drunk,  inter- 
mixed with  songs.  After  a  very  agreeable 
evening  of  patriotic  and  temperate  festivity, 
I  acknowledged  the  gratification  I  had  re- 
ceived, and  returned  to  my  lodging  before 
the  party  broke  up. 

When  I  was  at  Dehli  the  Great  Moghol, 
wishing  to  express  his  satisfaction  with  some 
communications  I  had  succeeded  in  making 
to  him,  allowed  me,  at  my  suggestion,  to 
have  his  name  and  the  date  of  my  reception 
at  his  Court  engraved  on  some  personal  or- 
nament. Accordingly  on  my  return  to  Ben- 
92 


gal  I  had  a  small  tablet  of  silver  handsomely 
engraved  with  the  Emperor's  name  in  Persian 
characters,  and  the  date  of  my  introduction 
to  him.  Some  years  after,  when  in  charge  of 
an  extensive  district  in  the  interior  of  India, 
and  which,  as  it  happened,  had  been  the  resi- 
dence of  His  Majesty's  predecessors  on  the 
throne,  and  the  scene  of  his  own  early  mili- 
tary exploits,  I  was  in  the  habit  of  wearing 
this  ornament  upon  receiving  visits  from  the 
Rajah  and  other  principal  personages  of  the 
country.  Desirous  now  of  expressing  my 
sense  of  the  attentions  I  had  received  from 
my  countrymen,  I  again  wore  this  memorial, 
and  presented  it  to  the  President  and  others, 
who  examined  it  with  curiosity,  and  were 
amused  with  the  history  belonging  to  it. 

24th  April.—  Breakfasted,  as  usual,  at  the 
great  table.  In  the  forenoon  Mr.  Law  and 
other  friends  called,  and  also  a  Mr.  Field,  an 
English  miniature  painter,  who  had  dined 
with  the  St.  George's  Society  the  day  before. 
He  expressed  a  wish  that  I  would  sit  to  him, 
which  I  agreed  to  do  on  my  return  from 
Washington,  for  which  I  was  to  leave  Balti- 
more in  a  day  or  two.  Dined  with  Mr.  Law 
at  Mr.  Barry's.  In  the  evening  Dr.  Jamieson 
called,  and  stayed  and  supped  with  me. 

93 


. — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Law  set  out  in  their 
chariot  and  four  horses  for  Washington.  I 
had  not  seen  such  an  equipage  in  America. 
They  invited  me  to  accompany  them,  but 
besides  my  unwillingness  to  add  to  their  in- 
convenience on  the  bad  roads  they  had  to 
travel,  I  had  some  engagements  which  pre- 
vented my  leaving  Baltimore  till  the  next  day. 
Much  rain  after  Mr.  Law's  departure.  Write 
to  my  brother  by  a  ship  bound  to  England. 

26th. — At  four  this  morning  I  quitted  Bal- 
timore, where  I  had  passed  a  few  days  most 
agreeably,  having  found  numerous  friends 
where  I  expected  to  find  none  but  strangers, 
and  received  a  degree  of  spontaneous  kind- 
ness and  hospitality  upon  which  I  had  still 
less  reason  to  calculate. 

In  the  stage -wagon,  for  such  again  was 
the  conveyance,  were  ten  other  passengers. 
After  going  eight  miles  we  reached  the  Pa- 
tapsco,  a  small  river  which  rises  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Pennsylvania.  We  crossed  it  in  a 
boat  which  held  the  wagon  and  horses,  the 
passengers  remaining  in  their  places,  for  the 
difficulty  of  getting  in  and  out  prevented  our 
leaving  these  on  trifling  occasions,  such  as 
crossing  a  ferry,  or  stopping  to  change  horses, 
or  going  up  a  hill. 

94 


At  eight  o'clock  we  reached  a  solitary  inn 
called  "  Spurrier's,"  where  we  found  the  usual 
substantial  American  breakfast.  The  coun- 
try through  which  we  had  passed  was  ex- 
tremely dismal,  being  covered  with  forests 
upon  which  the  axe  had  as  yet  made  but  lit- 
tle impression,  for,  excepting  a  few  open 
spots  here  and  there,  such  trees  alone  were 
cut  down  as  were  necessary  for  the  formation 
of  a  road,  or  rather  the  line  of  a  road,  for  this 
was  still  in  a  very  rude  state,  the  driver  being 
obliged  to  wind  as  well  as  he  could  between 
the  remaining  stumps.  The  soft  soil  being 
rendered  deep  by  the  rain  that  had  fallen, 
our  progress  was  very  slow,  not  exceeding 
thirteen  miles  in  four  hours — a  pace  slower 
than  that  to  which  I  had  been  accustomed  in 
my  palanquin  in  India.  My  companions  were 
chiefly  from  Virginia  and  the  Southern  States, 
and  were  very  lively.  They  urged  me  to  ex- 
tend my  travels  to  the  south,  but  at  the  same 
time  did  not  conceal  the  aversion  of  their 
countrymen  towards  the  English  nation,  nor 
the  caution  this  feeling  would  require  me  to 
adopt  in  my  intercourse  with  the  inhabi- 
tants. 

Our  next  stage  was  to  another  solitary  sta- 
tion called  "  Van's,"  fifteen  miles ;  the  whole, 

95 


with  very  little  exception,  through  thick 
woods.  The  wagon,  in  winding  through  the 
trees  and  over  their  roots,  was  often  so  de- 
pressed in  the  soft  ground  and  old  ruts  on 
one  side,  that  the  passengers  were  obliged  to 
press  towards  the  other.  Without  this  per- 
petual trimming  we  should  certainly  have 
been  overturned  ;  not  that  such  an  adventure 
would  have  been  attended  with  any  serious 
consequence,  the  wagon  being  so  low,  and 
the  pace  so  slow :  the  scramble  therefore  on 
these  occasions  was  attended  with  more  mirth 
than  apprehension.  Eight  miles  more,  over 
a  country  more  cleared  and  a  better  road, 
brought  us  to  the  "  Indian  Queen  "  at  Bla- 
densburg,  a  small,  solitary  inn,  surrounded  by 
a  few  rude  cottages,  which  a  few  years  would 
probably  transform  into  respectable  houses, 
particularly  if  the  new  city,  now  distant  only 
one  stage,  should  become  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment. 

While  we  were  at  dinner  one  of  the  party 
informed  Mr.  Ross,  the  civil  landlord,  that  I 
came  from  Bengal.  ".Why,"  observed  Mr. 
Ross,  "the  gentleman  speaks  English  as  we 
do." 

Over  the  fireplace  in  the  dining-room  was 
a  plan  of  Washington,  with  the  streets, 
96 


squares,  and  public  buildings  of  the  intended 
city  minutely  detailed. 

Our  next  and  last  stage  of  twelve  miles  was 
pretty  good  as  to  road  and  country,  but  we 
had  a^great  deal  of  rain,  which  obliged  us  to 
unroll  all  the  leathern  curtains.  This  ren- 
dered the  interior  of  the  wagon  very  dark 
and  oppressively  hot,  there  being  no  aperture 
for  light  or  air  excepting  in  front,  between 
the  driver  and  the  passenger  by  his  side. 
This  obscurity  and  suffocation  rendered  more 
welcome  the  report  of  our  driver  at  about 
three  in  the  afternoon  that  we  were  approach- 
ing Georgetown.  We  entered  this  town  in 
half  an  hour  more,  and  descended  from  our 
prison  at  the  "  Fountain  Tavern." 

This  day's  journey  had  afforded  nothing 
particularly  interesting  excepting  the  singu- 
larity of  our  travelling  through  the  woods, 
and  the  appearance  of  a  country  just  emerg- 
ing from  a  state  of  nature.  The  luxuriance 
of  the  forests  denoted  a  rich  soil,  but  a  very 
small  part  only  of  the  country  had  as  yet 
been  cleared  for  cultivation.  As  population 
advanced  the  woods  would  of  course  disap- 
pear. In  the  meantime  it  was  impossible  to 
see  man  in  this  early  stage  of  solitary  seclu- 
sion without  considering  the  difficulties  and 

G  97 


privations  he  endured  while  slowly  preparing 
the  comforts  of  civilized  life  for  his  posterity. 
In  the  whole  course  of  the  day  I  had  not  seen 
a  blacksmith's  nor  a  baker's  shop  ;  and  as  for 
medical  assistance  in  case  of  sickness  or  acci- 
dent amongst  the  scattered  inhabitants,  there 
apparently  was  none  whatever  in  the  country 
we  had  passed  through. 

I  intended  to  proceed  this  afternoon  to 
Mr.  Law's  house  at  Washington,  distant  only 
about  five  or  six  miles,  but  could  not  procure 
a  conveyance  of  any  kind.  I  therefore  con- 
tented myself  with  walking  about  George- 
town. It  is  a  small  but  neat  town,  situated 
on  the  left  or  northern  bank  of  the  Potomac, 
a  few  miles  below  what  are  called  the  lower 
falls  of  that  river,  there  being  other  falls, 
particularly  the  Great  and  Seneca  falls,  higher 
up.  These  falls  are,  of  course,  a  complete 
obstruction  to  the  navigation ;  but  societies 
formed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Maryland,  Bal- 
timore, and  Pennsylvania  were  about  to  form 
locks  and  canals  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding 
these  interruptions. 

The    Potomac    is    inconsiderable    till    it 

reaches  the   neighborhood   of  Georgetown, 

when  it  becomes  a  large  river  navigable  to 

the  sea,  a  distance  of  nearly  three  hundred 

98 


miles,  though,  strictly  speaking,  it  may  per- 
haps be  considered  as  terminating  at  its 
junction  with  the  Chesapeak,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  lower  falls. 
The  passage  of  the  Potomac  through  the 
Blue  Ridge  is  said  to  afford  most  beautiful 
scenery.  Many  of  the  geologists  of  the 
United  States  seem  to  think  that  the  Blue 
Mountains  were  once  the  boundaries  of  an 
immense  lake  till  the  Susquehannah,  Poto- 
mac, and  other  rivers  burst  through  them. 

In  my  walk  about  the  town  I  saw  several 
good  houses,  some  in  rows,  others  in  a  line, 
but  detached,  the  intervals  between  them  not 
being  yet  filled  up.  The  road  from  Virginia 
and  the  Southern  States,  crossing  the  Poto- 
mac here,  already  gives  an  air  of  prosperity 
to  this  little  town,  and  assures  its  future  im- 
portance, whatever  may  be  the  fate  of  the 
projected  metropolis.  Georgetown  must 
share  its  advantages,  but  be  independent  of 
its  failure. 

2jth. — When  the  landlord  of  the  "  Foun- 
tain "  found  that  I  was  going  to  Mr.  Law's, 
he  made  every  endeavor  to  procure  me  a 
carriage,  but  without  success.  He  this  morn- 
ing, however,  procured  me  a  horse,  and  had 
him  brought  to  the  door  soon  after  breakfast. 


Leaving,  therefore,  my  portmanteau  to  be 
forwarded  in  the  course'of  the  day,  I  set  out 
for  Washington,  situated  lower  down  the 
Potomac,  in  the  territory  of  Columbia,  the 
name  given  to  a  portion  of  land  ceded  by 
the  contiguous  States  of  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia for  the  construction  and  convenience 
of  the  new  metropolis. 

Having  crossed  an  extensive  tract  of  level 
country  somewhat  resembling  an  English 
heath,  I  entered  a  large  wood  through  which 
a  very  imperfect  road  had  been  made,  princi- 
pally by  removing  the  trees,  or  rather  the 
upper  parts  of  them,  in  the  usual  manner. 
After  some  time  this  indistinct  way  assumed 
more  the  appearance  of  a  regular  avenue,  the 
trees  here  having  been  cut  down  in  a  straight 
line.  Although  no  habitation  of  any  kind 
was  visible,  I  had  no  doubt  but  I  was  now 
riding  along  one  of  the  streets  of  the  metro- 
politan city.  I  continued  in  this  spacious 
avenue  for  half  a  mile,  and  then  came  out 
upon  a  large  spot,  cleared  of  wood,  in  the 
centre  of  which  I  saw  two  buildings  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale,  and  some  men  at  work  on  one 
of  them.  The  only  human  beings  I  should 
have  seen  here  not  a  great  many  years  before 
would  have  been  some  savages  of  the  Poto- 


mac,  whose  tribe  is  said  to  have  sent  deputies 
to  treat  with  William  Penn  at  the  assembly 
he  held  at  Chester.  Advancing  and  speak- 
ing to  these  workmen,  they  informed  me  that 
I  was  now  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  that 
the  building  before  me  was  the  Capitol,  and 
the  other  destined  to  be  a  tavern.  As  the 
greatest  cities  have  a  similar  beginning,  there 
was  really  nothing  surprising  here,  nor  out  of 
the  usual  order  of  things ;  but  still  the  scene 
which  surrounded  me  —  the  metropolis  of  a 
great  nation  in  its  first  stage  from  a  sylvan 
state — was  strikingly  singular.  I  thought  it 
the  more  so,  as  the  accounts  which  I  had  re- 
ceived of  Washington  while  at  Philadelphia, 
and  the  plan  which  I  had  seen  hung  up  in  the 
dining-room  at  Bladensburg,  had  prepared  me 
for  something  rather  more  advanced.  Look- 
ing from  where  I  now  stood  I  saw  on  every 
side  a  thick  wood  pierced  with  avenues  in  a 
more  or  less  perfect  state.  These  denoted 
the  lines  of  the  intended  streets,  which  al- 
ready appeared  in  the  engraved  plan  with 
their  future  names.  The  Capitol  promised 
to  be  a  large  and  handsome  building,  judg- 
ing from  the  part,  about  two  thirds,  already 
above  the  ground.  I  walked  through  several 
of  the  lower  apartments,  and  saw  the  halls 


designed  for  the  representatives  and  senate, 
now  in  an  unfinished  state,  and  encumbered 
with  building  materials.  I  did  not  go  into  the 
tavern.  It  was  a  large  building  of  red  brick, 
and  in  a  much  more  advanced  state  than  the 
Capitol,  being  roofed  in. 

The  masons  having  answered  all  my  ques- 
tions with  much  civility,  I  rode  on,  following 
the  avenue  they  pointed  out  to  me.  After 
going  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  th'rough 
a  silent  wilderness,  I  found  myself  upon  a 
trackless  plain  partially  covered  with  trees 
and  brushwood.  I  in  vain  looked  about  for 
Mr.  Law's  house  or  some  one  to  guide  me  to 
it.  I  therefore  rode  on  in  the  direction  I 
judged  the  most  likely  to  lead  me  out  of  this 
labyrinth.  I  knew  that  in  case  of  my  not 
succeeding,  my  retreat  was  always  open  to 
the  Capitol,  for  while  talking  with  the  work- 
men I  observed  that  all  the  avenues  con- 
verged to  that  point.  I  continued  therefore 
to  explore  my  way  through  the  thickets, 
keeping  my  horse's  head  rather  towards  the 
right,  to  gain,  if  necessary,  the  Potomac, 
whose  bank  I  might  then  follow. 

I  had  not  proceeded  far  before  I  saw  a  car- 
riage issue  from  the  forest  beyond  the  plain, 
and  I  soon  perceived  that  it  was  making  for 


a  small  bridge,  which  I  now  discovered  for 
the  first  time,  considerably  to  the  right  of 
the  point  for  which  I  was  making.  I  shaped 
my  course  accordingly,  and  hastened  for- 
ward^ as  fast  as  the  nature  of  the  ground 
would  permit,  that  I  might  catch  the  carriage 
at  the  bridge,  from  which  we  were  both  at 
nearly  the  same  distance.  The  carriage,  how- 
ever, was  apparently  trotting  along  upon  a 
road,  while  my  progress  was  almost  stopped, 
and  was  soon  likely  to  be  quite  so,  by  the 
bogginess  of  the  land  as  I  drew  near  a  small 
stream  that  I  found  running  along  the  bot- 
tom. Thus  I  saw  the  carriage  pass  the  bridge, 
and  escaping,  while  I  was  yet  at  some  dis- 
tance. It  fortunately,  however,  turned  after- 
wards rather  to  the  right,  making  towards 
the  wood  I  had  left,  and  it  seemed  possible 
that  I  might  still  intercept  it  by  regaining 
the  high  ground  and  getting  to  the  road  it 
was  taking.  I  succeeded  in  this  attempt, 
reaching  the  road  just  before  it  passed.  As 
it  approached  the  hope  I  had  indulged  was 
confirmed.  It  was  Mr.  Law's  chariot,  which, 
in  the  expectation  of  my  arrival  at  George- 
town, Mr.  Law  had  sent  for  me.  The  coach- 
man tying  my  horse  behind,  we  recrossed  the 
small  bridge,  passed  through  the  forest  I 


had  seen,  and  a  second  plain  beyond  it,  and 
reached  the  banks  of  the  Potomac.  In  a 
few  minutes  more  we  arrived  at  Mr.  Law's, 
where  I  had  a  most  cordial  reception. 

In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Law  took  me  about 
his  new  estate.  His  house,  built  by  himself, 
was  only  a  few  yards  from  the  steep  bank  of 
the  Potomac,  and  commanded  a  fine  view 
across  that  river,  here  half  a  mile  wide.  In 
the  rear  of  the  house  Mr.  Law  was  building 
a  street,  consisting  of  much  smaller  houses 
than  his  own,  speculating  upon  a  great  in- 
crease in  their  value  when  the  expected  trans- 
fer of  the  seat  of  government  should  be  ef- 
fected. The  position  at  least  was  favorable, 
being  on  a  point  of  land  between  the  Poto- 
mac and  a  tributary  stream  called  "  the  east- 
ern branch,"  thus  offering  a  double  water- 
front. 

Mr.  Law  sent  a  servant  to  Georgetown 
with  my  horse,  with  directions  to  bring  back 
my  portmanteau. 

In  the  evening  Miss  Westcott  of  Philadel- 
phia arrived.  Though  possessing  a  sort  of 
celebrity  for  her  talents  and  literary  attain- 
ments, her  manners  were  particularly  unaf- 
fected and  agreeable. 

28th. — Spent  the  day  with  Mr.  Law's  fam- 


ily.  Monsieur  Talleyrand,  ex-bishop  of  Au- 
tun,  whom  the  hostility  of  parties  in  France 
had  driven  across  the  Atlantic,  was  expected 
from  Philadelphia,  but  much  to  my  regret 
did  not  come. 

2C)th. — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Law  took  me  in  their 
carriage  this  forenoon  to  introduce  me  to  Mr. 
Lear  and  his  family,  residing  near  George- 
town, but  within  the  limits,  as  I  understood, 
of  the  new  city.  The  family  was  nearly  re- 
lated to  General  Washington.  Mr.  Lear  him- 
self was  the  General's  private  secretary.  I 
thought  him  a  most  respectable  man.  The 
family  inquired  if  I  had  been  introduced  to 
the  President,  and  when  they  found  that  I 
had  not,  promised  me  a  particular  introduc- 
tion on  my  return  to  Philadelphia. 

Miss  Custis,  sister  of  Mrs.  Law,  arrived.  A 
letter  from  Monsieur  Talleyrand  announced 
that  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  deferring 
his  visit.  I  had  reckoned  much  upon  the 
gratification  of  spending  a  few  days  thus 
privately  in  the  company  of  this  celebrated 
character.  The  talents  and  liveliness  of  Mr. 
Law,  and  the  acquirements  of  Miss  Westcott, 
were  not  ill  calculated  to  produce  some  dis- 
play of  his  powers,  and  elicit  some  sparks  of 
his  wit. 

105 


jotk. — To-day  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Law  were  so 
good  as  to  make  a  party  on  my  account  to 
Alexandria,  which  I  had  a  desire  to  see,  as  one 
of  the  principal  towns  in  Virginia.  Accom- 
panied by  Miss  Custis  and  Miss  Westcott, 
we  embarked  in  a  large  boat  and  were  rowed 
down  the  Potomac.  A  little  below  the  point 
on  which  Mr.  Law's  house  stood,  after  the 
junction  of  the  eastern  branch,  the  river  was 
nearly  a  mile  in  width,  and  remained  without 
perceptible  increase  till  we  reached  Alexan- 
dria, on  the  opposite  or  southern  shore,  seven 
miles  lower.  The  current  was  rather  slow 
than  rapid.  On  both  sides  was  a  flat  coun- 
try, presenting  no  picturesque  scenery  tow- 
ards the  river.  But  a  great  river,  seen  for 
the  first  time,  is  itself  an  object  of  sufficient 
interest,  and  I  accordingly  felt  great  satisfac- 
tion in  rowing  down  the  Potomac,  although 
the  romantic  scenes  of  which  I  had  heard  did 
not  extend  so  low  down  its  course. 

Arrived  at  Alexandria,  we  landed  at  a  hand- 
some, recently  built  quay,  nearly  in  the  centre 
of  the  water-line,  and  walked  up  the  town  to 
the  inn,  passing  in  our  way  through  a  large 
open  space,  apparently  intended  for  a  market- 
place. The  town,  being  built  upon  a  slope 
from  the  interior  to  the  water's  edge,  ap- 


peared  to  much  advantage  as  we  rowed  tow- 
ards it  from  the  middle  of  the  river.  But 
the  circumstance  which  most  struck  me  was 
the  vast  number  of  houses  which  I  saw  build- 
ing as^we  passed  through  the  streets,  and  the 
number  of  people  employed  as  carpenters 
and  masons.  The  hammer  and  trowel  were 
at  work  everywhere — a  cheering  sight,  and  a 
remarkable  contrast  with  the  dilapidation  of 
cities  which  I  had  seen  in  my  former  travels. 
Although  the  latter  were  calculated  to  afford 
a  deeper  interest  in  some  respects,  the  scene 
of  new  and  active  life,  the  foundations  of  fut- 
ure prosperity  which  Alexandria  presented, 
made  me  feel  how  much  more  gratifying  it 
is  to  observe  the  rise  of  a  new  state  than  the 
decline  of  an  old  one. 

It  appeared  not  improbable  that  Alexan- 
dria, situated  lower  down  the  Potomac,  and 
enjoying  the  advantage  of  a  greater  depth 
of  water,  would  in  commercial  competition 
prove  a  formidable  rival  to  Washington.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  the  immense  back 
country,  as  it  is  called,  of  the  United  States 
will,  when  duly  peopled,  afford  an  ample  com- 
merce to  all  the  great  towns  advantageously 
situated  near  the  mouths  of  the  principal 
rivers  along  the  Atlantic  coast. 
107 


I  did  not  forget  as  I  walked  about  the 
streets  the  assurance  of  the  Virginians  at 
Baltimore  that  I  should  probably  see  here 
persons  who  had  lost  an  eye  by  gouging. 
Although  I  had  not  this  demonstration,  I 
was  informed  that  the  practice  was  by  no 
means  uncommon,  and  that  there  were  per- 
sons in  the  town  who  had  lost  an  eye  in  this 
manner. 

After  dining  at  the  inn  we  returned  to  the 
boat.  There  not  being  wind  enough  to  assist 
us  against  the  stream,  we  got  on  but  slowly 
with  our  oars.  We  lost  nothing,  however,  by 
this  delay  but  a  little  time,  for  the  moon 
shone  so  beautifully  upon  the  still,  broad 
stream  that  we  were  all  struck  with  the  love- 
liness of  the  scene.  Miss  Westcott  even 
made  it  the  subject  of  some  lines,  whose  ele- 
gance only  I  recollect. 

ist  May.  —  To-day  having  been  fixed  for 
my  returning  towards  Philadelphia,  there  to 
embark  for  England,  I  received  a  very  flatter- 
ing letter  of  introduction  to  General  Wash- 
ington from  his  relations,  whom  I  had  visited 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Law  near  Georgetown. 
They  also  intrusted  me  with  a  miniature  pict- 
ure of  the  general,  which  they  wished  me  to 
deliver  to  him. 

108 


My  stay  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Law  had  been 
rendered  extremely  agreeable  by  the  great 
kindness  I  had  received  from  them.  They 
wished  me  to  prolong  my  stay,  but  I  was 
anxious  to  get  to  England,  particularly  as  I 
should  be  likely  to  sail  again  for  India  early 
in  the  following  year. 

Although  Mr.  Law  seemed  satisfied  with 
his  new  situation,  having  a  companion  with 
whom  a  man  might  be  happy  anywhere,  I 
could  not  but  be  surprised  at  the  plan  of  life 
he  had  chosen.  The  clearing  of  ground  and 
building  of  small  houses,  amongst  the  woods 
of  the  Potomac,  seemed  an  uncongenial  occu- 
pation for  a  man  of  so  accomplished  a  mind, 
and  whose  former  habits  and  employment  had 
been  so  different.  As  chief  of  a  large  district 
in  Bengal  he  had  been  accustomed  to  the  dis- 
charge of  important  official  functions,  and  to 
the  splendor  and  consequence  of  a  prince.  In 
England  his  family  was  opulent  and  distin- 
guished. One  brother  was  bishop  of  Carlisle, 
another  was  a  barrister  of  the  first  eminence, 
and  the  successful  defender  of  Mr.  Warren 
Hastings  against  the  political  influence  of 
Fox,  the  eloquence  of  Sheridan,  and  the  viru- 
lence of  Burke.  America,  of  all  countries, 
seemed  the  least  suited  to  the  activity  or 
109 


leisure  of  such  a  person.  Here  almost  every 
one  was  engaged  either  in  politics  or  specu- 
lative enterprise.  But  as  a  foreigner,  and 
particularly  as  an  Englishman,  Mr.  Law  could 
never  possess  any  political  weight  in  the 
country ;  and  his  inexperience  in  commercial 
affairs,  amidst  rivals  so  experienced  and  in- 
telligent, might  expose  him  to  litigation  and 
disappointment,  and  involve  a  considerable 
diminution  of  his  fortune.  One  anticipation 
in  which  he  indulged,  with  great  confidence 
and  satisfaction,  was  that  other  East-Indians 
would  join  him ;  and  he  hoped,  I  was  sorry 
to  see,  that  I  might  return  to  Bengal  with 
impressions  tending  to  encourage  this  migra- 
tion. As  we  stood  one  evening  on  the  bank 
of  the  river  before  his  door,  he  said,  "  Here 
I  will  make  a  terrace,  and  we  will  sit  and 
smoke  our  hookahs." 

I  deeply  regretted  this  delusion.  It  seemed 
not  improbable  that  East  -  Indians  might 
sometimes  take  America  in  their  way  to  Eng- 
land, as  I  had  done ;  but  I  could  not  think, 
nor  hardly  hope,  that  they  would  desert  the 
refined  charms  of  the  Thames,  their  families 
and  country,  to  colonize  and  smoke  their 
hookahs  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

I  left  my  kind  friends,  with  the  painful  idea 


that  I  should  probably  never  see  them  again, 
soon  after  twelve  o'clock.  I  was  unwilling  to 
take  their  carriage  and  horses  farther  than 
Georgetown,  through  which  the  stage-wagon 
from  Virginia  would  pass  the  next  morning; 
but  they  insisted  upon  my  going  in  it  as  far 
as  Bladensburg.  As  Miss  Westcott  was  going 
to  Georgetown,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  her 
company  so  far.  She  stopped  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Stuart,  where  she  introduced  me  to 
her  friends  the  Misses  Breck,  two  other 
young  ladies  from  Philadelphia.  Having  re- 
mained here  a  short  time,  I  continued  my 
ride  to  Bladensburg,  and,  alighting  there  at 
the  "  Indian  Queen,"  was  well  taken  care  of 
the  rest  of  the  afternoon  by  Mr.  Ross.  I  ob- 
served that  Mr.  Law's  coachman  was  well 
provided  against  the  deficiencies  of  the  coun- 
try, having  spare  shoes  for  his  horses  and 
the  necessary  instruments  of  a  blacksmith's 
shop. 

ad  May. — The  stage  -  wagon  arriving  soon 
after  breakfast,  I  take  leave  of  Mr.  Ross. 
Changed  horses  at  Van's,  and  again  at  Spur- 
rier's, where  we  dined.  The  day  being  very 
fine  and  my  five  or  six  companions  very  agree- 
able men,  I  enjoyed  my  ride,  amused  with  the 
rude  beginnings  of  civilization  which  I  again 


saw  on  every  side,  and  contemplating  the 
changes  which  human  energy  and  persever- 
ance would  gradually  introduce.  From  the 
summit  of  a  hill  leading  down  to  the  Pataps- 
co,  I  enjoyed  the  only  fine  view  upon  the 
road,  though  the  partial  clearing  of  the 
woods  would  undoubtedly  discover,  and  form 
indeed,  others.  At  four  o'clock  we  drove  into 
the  great  yard  of  the  "  Indian  Queen,"  when 
the  landlord  jocosely  expressed  his  satisfac- 
tion at  seeing  me  return  with  both  my  eyes 
from  Virginia. 

Having  noticed  some  unusual  bustle  about 
the  streets,  I  was  informed  that  there  had 
been  a  review  of  the  militia  that  morning  to 
celebrate  the  anniversary  of  St.  Tammany, 
the  titular  saint  of  America.  St.  Tammany's 
Day  was  the  day  before,  but  that  being  Sun- 
day, the  celebration  of  it  had  been  deferred 
till  to-day.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  the 
play.  It  was  performed  by  French  come- 
dians, the  greater  part  of  whom  were  unfortu- 
nate persons  whom  the  tyranny  of  the  Revo- 
lution had  driven  from  their  country  and 
from  better  situations  in  life. 

jd.  —  Unwell  to-day,  with  a  slight  return 
of  my  Indian  symptoms.  I,  however,  paid 
visits  to  the  friends  who  had  before  shown 


me  so  much  kindness.  I  received  several  in- 
vitations to  dinner,  but  preferred  dining  alone 
at  the  inn.  In  the  afternoon  I  took  a  very 
pleasant  ride  on  horseback,  accompanied  by 
the  two  young  Messrs.  Gilmore.  They  took 
me  round  the  port  to  some  high  ground  com- 
manding a  good  view  of  the  town,  the  basin, 
and  shipping.  I  spent  the  evening  very  agree- 
ably with  the  Misses  Stith.  I  regret  that  my 
journal  does  not  mention,  and  that  I  cannot 
recollect,  who  these  ladies  were,  nor  how  I 
was  introduced  to  them.  They  had  the  good- 
ness to  procure  me  some  English  newspapers 
I  was  desirous  of  seeing.  I  had  been  told  in 
Philadelphia  that  my  sister  had  been  married 
to  a  surgeon,  and  I  thought  the  newspapers 
might  give  me  more  particulars.  On  my  re- 
turn home,  I  found  that  Mr.  Field,  the  min- 
iature painter,  had  called. 

4th. — Called  upon  Mr.  Field  and  sat.  Dined 
with  a  large  party  at  Mr.  Campbell's,  the 
President  of  the  St.  George's  Society. 

5th. — Sat  again  to  Mr.  Field.  Mr.  Consul 
Barry  called,  and  afterwards  Colonels  How- 
ard and  O'Donald,  two  of  the  principal  in- 
habitants of  Baltimore.  They  both  gave  most 
friendly  invitations  to  their  country-seats — 
the  former  to  Belvidere,  of  which  I  had 


heard  much,  and  Colonel  O'Donald  to  his 
villa,  called  Canton.  Colonel  O'Donald  had, 
many  years  before,  been  in  Bengal,  and  now 
expressed  much  pleasure  in  meeting  one  from 
that  country.  Called  upon  Mr.  Thorntpn ; 
further  conversation  with  him  about  Pem- 
broke Hall.  Called  upon  Mr.  Curzon.  Singu- 
lar particulars  of  his  family.*  He  informed 
me  that  Mr.  Robert  Liston  had  arrived 
in  Philadelphia,  as  British  Plenipotentiary 
to  the  United  States.  I  afterwards  saw 
the  Danish  Consul.  He  informed  me  that 
he  had  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Ross,  of 
Philadelphia,  in  which  he  was  pleased  to 
speak  of  me  in  very  friendly  terms,  and  to 
approve  of  my  opinions  respecting  America. 
Mr.  Barry  read  part  of  the  doctor's  letter. 
He  mentioned  having  introduced  me  to  Dr. 
Priestley,  and  the  doctor's  satisfaction  with 
some  communications  about  India.  He  said 
that  Dr.  Priestley  meant  to  make  an  ac- 
knowledgment in  a  book  he  was  about  to 
publish. 

6th. — As  I  was  walking  up  and  down  the 
great  room  before  breakfast  this  morning, 

*  My  journal  does  not  state  these  particulars,  and  I  have 
entirely  forgotten  them. 

114 


Mr.  Volney  came  up  to  me.  He  had  arrived 
from  Philadelphia  the  evening  before.  He 
confirmed  the  news  of  Mr.  Liston's  appoint- 
ment and  arrival. 

Colonel  O'Donald  called  to  invite  me  to 
meet  a  party  of  his  friends  at  Canton  on  the 
following  Sunday.  Dined  with  Mr.  Consul 
Barry  off  salt  fish,  it  being  Friday. 

jth. — I  walked  this  morning  to  breakfast 
with  Colonel  Howard  at  Belvidere,  only  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  top  of  the  town  to  the 
right.  The  beauty  of  this  seat  exceeded 
even  the  accounts  which  I  had  received  of  it. 
It  was  upon  the  plan  and  possessed  all  the 
elegance  of  an  English  villa.  Situated  upon 
the  verge  of  the  descent  upon  which  Balti- 
more stands,  its  grounds  formed  a  beauti- 
ful slant  towards  the  Chesapeak.  From  the 
taste  with  which  they  were  laid  out,  it  would 
seem  that  America  already  possessed  a  Haver- 
field  or  a  Repton.  The  spot,  thus  indebted 
to  nature  and  judiciously  embellished,  was  as 
enchanting  within  its  own  proper  limits  as 
in  the  fine  view  which  extended  far  beyond 
them.  The  foreground  presented  luxurious 
shrubberies  and  sloping  lawns  :  the  distance, 
the  line  of  the  Patapsco,  and  the  country 
bordering  on  Chesapeak  Bay.  Both  the  per- 


factions  of  the  landscape,  its  near  and  distant 
scenery,  were  united  in  the  view  from  the 
bow-window  of  the  noble  room  in  which 
breakfast  was  prepared,  with  the  desire,  I 
believe,  of  gratifying  me  with  this  exquisite 
prospect.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  if 
Mr.  Law  or  other  nabobs  chose  to  abandon 
their  own  country  for  America,  such  was  the 
residence  they  should  look  for.  I  spent  the 
greater  part  of  the  forenoon  at  Belvidere,  de- 
.  tained  by  the  attentions  of  Colonel  Howard's 
family  and  the  attractions  of  his  villa,  which 
seemed  hardly  to  belong  to  the  same  age  or 
country  as  the  forests  I  had  just  passed 
through  in  so  rude  a  conveyance  ;  and  it  was 
indeed,  less  a  specimen  of  the  actual  state  of 
general  improvement  than  evidence  of  the 
refinement  towards  which  society  in  America 
was  advancing. 

I  had  intended  to  walk  back  to  Baltimore, 
but  Colonel  Howard  would  order  his  carriage 
for  me.  I  was  accompanied  by  two  young 
ladies  of  the  name  of  Chew,  who  were  stay- 
ing at  Belvidere,  and  took  this  opportunity 
of  shopping  and  paying  a  few  visits. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Gilmore's  family,  and 
stayed  till  a  late  hour. 

8th. — Called  upon  Mr.  Campbell  and  Mr. 

116 


Thomson.  Early  in  the  afternoon  the  friends 
of  Colonel  O'Donald  who  were  to  dine  with 
him  called  upon  me  at  his  desire  to  accom- 
pany me  to  his  country-house — distant  about 
seven,  miles.  Having  mounted  my  horse,  we 
proceeded  down  Market  Street,  and  when 
nearly  at  the  bottom  of  the  town  turned  to 
the  left  and  gained  the  country  extending 
along  the  basin  of  the  Patapsco.  The  road 
being  rough  and  stony,  my  companions  sup- 
posed I  should  wish  to  go  slowly,  but  know- 
ing the  taste  of  the  Americans  for  fast  riding, 
I  took  the  lead  at  a  quick  pace.  We  reached 
Canton  after  a  merry  ride.  I  was  led  to  think 
from  what  I  saw  now,  and  had  before  ob- 
served, that  the  Americans  have  more  spirits 
and  vivacity  on  such  occasions  than  the  Eng- 
lish, or,  at  least,  that  their  impressions  are 
under  less  reserve.  It  is  to  this  unreserved 
communication  probably  that  the  facility 
with  which  the  Americans  express  them- 
selves in  conversation  is  to  be  attributed. 
An  American  speaks  English  with  the  volu- 
bility of  a  Frenchman.  On  my  arrival  in 
America  I  was  much  struck  with  this  pecu- 
liarity. The  day  before  I  embarked  at  Cal- 
cutta I  called  upon  Sir  Robert  Abercromby 
to  take  leave  of  him,  to  thank  him  for  the 


numerous  acts  of  kindness  I  had  received 
from  him,  and  to  see  him,  in  fact,  though  I 
then  little  thought  of  such  being  the  case, 
for  the  last  time.  We  walked  up  and  down 
his  great  drawing-room  from  one  end  of  it 
to  the  other  for  nearly,  I  believe,  an  hour; 
and  speaking  during  part  of  this  time  of 
America,  he  told  me  of  many  things  I  should 
find  there ;  but  I  do  not  recollect  that  this 
colloquial  facility  mentioned  above  was  one 
of  the  number.  If  I  had  visited  the  veteran 
general  in  his  retirement  on  the  banks  of  the 
Forth  (and  deep  is  my  regret  that  I  did  not), 
how  many  things  I  should  have  had  to  say 
to  him  about  America  as  well  as  India ! 

Colonel  O'Donald  had  shown  his  Indian 
predilection  in  the  construction  of  his  resi- 
dence as  well  as  in  its  name.  The  long,  low 
house,  with  a  deep  veranda  in  front,  had 
somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  pucka  bun- 
galow. It  was  pleasantly  situated  amongst 
fields  and  small  woods,  not  far  from  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Patapsco  with  the  Chesapeak. 
The  Colonel  told  me  that  when  he  was  in 
Calcutta  he  had  a  great  desire  to  visit  the 
interior  of  India,  and  particularly  Lucnow. 
My  journey  into  the  same  part  of  the  coun- 
try seemed  to  afford  him  considerable  inter- 
ns 


est,  as  did  my  imperial  seal.  He  appeared  to 
wish  that  he  had  passed  more  years  in  India 
and  fewer  in  America.  Nothing  was  omitted 
to  testify  his  satisfaction  at  seeing  me,  and  I 
should  gladly  have  accepted  his  invitation  to 
pass  two  or  three  days  at  Canton  if  time  had 
permitted  me.  After  a  sumptuous  dinner 
the  Colonel's  friends  accompanied  me  back 
to  Baltimore,  and  even  to  the  door  of  my 
hotel.  This  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
days  I  passed  in  America. 

Though  late,  I  went,  agreeably  to  an  en- 
gagement I  had  made  previously,  to  take  a 
second  cup  of  tea  with  Mr.  Field,  and  sat 
with  him  till  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I 
do  not  know  what  became  of  his  picture. 

gth. — At  dinner  to-day  I  sat  next  to  Mon- 
sieur Volney  and  had  much  conversation  with 
him  about  India,  respecting  which  country 
he  was  always  very  inquisitive.  He  asked  me 
what  precautions  I  had  adopted  in  my  jour- 
neys there,  and  whether  I  had  disguised  my- 
self. I  said  that  as  I  could  speak  the  lan- 
guage of  the  people  disguise  would  have  been 
easy  and  perhaps  the  safest  expedient,  but 
that  I  felt  there  was  something  degrading  in 
this  resource,  and  never  adopted  it  except 
on  one  occasion  of  sudden  emergency.  I 
119 


had  also,  I  said,  departed  from  the  custom  of 
some  travellers  in  another  respect.  Instead 
of  passing  for  a  person  of  no  consequence,  I 
assumed  all  the  importance  I  was  entitled  to, 
and  sometimes  indeed  rather  more.  This 
put  me  in  relation  with  the  chiefs  of  the 
country,  and  the  heads  of  towns  and  villages, 
and  placed  my  party  in  some  measure  under 
the  responsibility  and  protection  of  the  offi- 
cial authorities.  Instead  of  entering  a  town  as 
a  person  desiring  concealment,  I  announced 
my  arrival  by  the  most  intelligent  and  best- 
dressed  of  my  suite,  and  asked  for  everything 
that  a 'stranger  of  consideration  had  a  right 
to  expect.  As  far  as  my  means  would  allow 
I  travelled  with  a  force  calculated  to  com- 
mand respect  on  common  occasions  as  an 
escort,  and  capable  of  making  a  good  defence 
in  case  of  attack.  When  I  thought  that  my 
guard  was  not  proportioned  to  some  partic- 
ular danger  we  were  likely  to  encounter,  I 
sent  to  the  aumil,  or  governor,  of  the  country, 
or  to  the  chief  of  the  place,  and,  stating  who 
I  was,  asked  for  such  an  increase  of  force  as 
he  himself  judged  necessary ;  and  on  these 
occasions  I  never  met  with  a  refusal.  I  add- 
ed that  though  I  did  not  adopt  disguise  in 
the  usual  sense  of  the  word,  I  so  far  assumed 


the  national  dress  as  not  to  shock  the  prej- 
udices of  the  people  or  excite  an  inconven- 
ient degree  of  curiosity  ;  but  that,  so  far  from 
adopting  this  step  as  a  deception,  I  always 
left  enough  of  my  proper  character  to  show 
the  inhabitants  that  my  object  was  to  con- 
ciliate and  not  to  mislead  them.  Monsieur 
Volney  expressed  his  concurrence  with  these 
plans,  and  said  he  would  adopt  them  if  he 
should  ever  gratify  his  desire  of  visiting 
India,  as  he  believed  he  might  but  for  the 
length  of  the  sea  voyage.  He  described 
what  he  suffered  on  coming  from  France  to 
America,  and  said  he  could  not  think  of  an- 
other voyage  without  horror. 

After  dinner  Monsieur  Volney  and  I  walked 
out  together.  He  told  me  he  should  proba- 
bly publish  some  account  of  America.  He 
examined  things  as  we  went  about  very  mi- 
nutely, and  in  some  of  his  surveys  made  me 
his  assistant.  Having  taken  the  measure  of 
my  step,  he  requested  me  to  walk  from  one 
side  of  the  street  to  the  other,  while  he  with 
his  pocket-book  in  his  hand  counted  the 
number  of  my  paces,  and  noted  down  their 
equivalent  in  feet.  We  went  also  into  one 
of  the  principal  churches.  But  though  I  was 
gratified  with  this  unexpected  intercourse 


with  so  distinguished  a  man,  I  cannot  say 
that  Monsieur  Volney  pleased  me  much.  He 
was  cold  and  satirical.  I  did  not  perceive 
that  he  had  any  communication  with  any 
one  at  Baltimore  but  myself.  I  concluded 
that  the  political  troubles  in  which  he  had 
been  engaged,  and  the  persecution  which 
had  banished  him  from  his  country,  had 
caused  this  splenetic  unsociableness  or  in- 
creased a  constitutional  irritability.  He  was 
little  pleased  with  America,  and  where  he 
was  not  pleased  he  expressed  himself  with 
much  severity.  As  a  philosopher  he  might 
be  expected  to  see  with  less  surprise  and  dis- 
satisfaction the  imperfections  of  a  new  state, 
so  remote  from  the  improvements  and  influ- 
ence of  Europe  ;  and  as  the  guest  of  Amer- 
ica he  might  be  expected  to  repay  her  hos- 
pitality with  more  urbanity  and  indulgence. 

In  the  evening  I  met  with  surprise  Mr. 
Pringle,  the  supercargo  of  the  India.  I  re- 
ceived a  visit  from  Mr.  Grove,  merchant,  of 
Baltimore,  and  connected,  I  understood,  with 
Mr.  Gilmore's  house.  Mr.  Gilmore  wished  me 
to  make  some  communications  to  him  re- 
specting the  commerce  of  India. 

Although  Baltimore  is  the  principal  town 
of  Maryland  as  to  population  and  commerce, 


Annapolis,  about  thirty  miles  distant,  is  the 
seat  of  the  provincial  government.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  town  was  said  not  to  exceed 
20,000;  that  of  the  state  was  about  350,000, 
of  which  nearly  the  third  part  were  slaves, 
employed  principally  in  the  cultivation  of  to- 
bacco and  wheat,  the  staple  commodities  of 
the  export  trade.  Baltimore  was  founded  by 
Lord  Baltimore  in  the  reign  of  Charles  the 
First. 

loth  May. — At  6  A.M.  I  set  out  for  Phila- 
delphia. Among  the  passengers  who  almost 
filled  the  wagon  was  Mr.  Hancock,  son  of 
Mr.  Hancock  of  Massachusetts,  the  country- 
man and  colleague  of  Mr.  Adams,  the  Vice- 
President.  A  trifling  circumstance  showed 
the  general  feeling  of  respect  towards  Gen- 
eral Washington.  Mr.  Hancock  having  learn- 
ed that  I  was  bearer  of  the  picture  of  the 
General,  communicated  this  incident  to  the 
rest  of  the  company,  upon  whom  it  seemed 
to  make  an  extraordinary  impression,  pro- 
curing me  their  congratulations  on  being 
honored  with  such  a  charge,  and  particular 
marks  of  their  attention  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  journey. 

Breakfasted  at  Harford.  Stopped  a  few 
minutes  at  Charlestown,  from  the  neighbor- 


hood  of  which  is  a  fine  view  of  the  Chesa- 
peak.  Dined  at  Havre  de  Grace.  The  din- 
ner, though  not  remarkable  for  its  excellence, 
afforded  by  its  singularity  much  amusement. 
The  first  dish  being  pork,  to  which  one  of 
the  passengers,  a  Frenchman,  had  a  great 
dislike,  he  waited  for  the  second,  but  this 
being  pork  also  his  national  irritability  was 
much  excited,  and  broke  through  all  bounds 
when  he  found  that  the  remaining  dishes 
were  only  varieties  of  the  same  hated  food. 
The  Frenchman,  who  had  perhaps  calculated 
on  a  fine  trout  from  the  Susquehannah,  ex- 
pressed his  dissatisfaction  in  very  warm 
terms ;  and  when  finally  a  rather  high  bill 
was  placed  before  us,  he  positively  refused 
his  share  of  the  contribution.  The  American 
zVzsisted,  the  Frenchman  resisted,  and  sec- 
onded his  declaration  by  twice  raising  his 
knife  and  striking  the  handle  of  it  with  great 
violence  against  the  table.  It  would  have 
been  fortunate  if  his  resentment  had  ended 
here,  for  lifting  up  his  knife  a  third  time, 
while  he  looked  angrily  at  the  master  of  the 
inn,  he  brought  the  end  of  it  down,  not  upon 
the  table,  but  on  his  plate  and  broke  it  to 
pieces.  The  landlord  was  far  from  disposed 
to  soothe  the  increased  vexation  of  his  of- 


fended  guest,  but  said  with  an  air  of  triumph, 
"  Monsieur  will  now  pay  for  the  dinner  and 
the  plate  too  " ;  and  in  fact,  instead  of  reduc- 
ing his  bill  or  the  Frenchman's  portion,  he 
charged  as  liberally  for  his  porcelain  as  for 
his  pork ;  leaving  the  Frenchman  no  other 
satisfaction  than  that  of  complaining  during 
the  rest  of  the  journey  that  he  had  paid  dear 
for  a  dinner  he  had  not  eaten,  and  for  more 
plates  than  he  had  broken.  For  myself  I  not 
only  made  a  good  dinner,  the  pork  being  ex- 
cellent, but  learned  a  circumstance  which  it- 
self was  worth  my  share  of  the  reckoning.  I 
was  informed  that  great  numbers  of  pigs 
were  turned  loose  into  the  woods  of  the  Sus- 
quehannah,  where  they  run  wild,  living  and 
growing  fat  upon  the  acorns  and  nuts  of  va- 
rious sorts  which  abound  there.  Before  win- 
ter the  poor  animals  are  hunted,  and  such  as 
are  caught— for  many  probably  escape — are 
killed  for  home  consumption  and  exporta- 
tion. I  was  told  that  a  similar  plan  was  adopt- 
ed in  other  parts  of  Maryland,  and  it  most 
likely  extended  to  other  states. 

I  had  heard  on  board  the  India,  and  in- 
deed  Sir    Robert   Abercromby   had    before 
mentioned  the  circumstance  to  me,  that  in 
some  parts  of  America  the  pigs  were  fed  on 
125 


peaches.  I  now  found  that  this  was  the  fact, 
and  not  so  extraordinary  a  one  as  it  had  at 
first  seemed  to  be.  I  had  observed  to-day, 
as  I  had  in  other  parts  of  Maryland,  that  al- 
most every  farm-house  and  cottage  had  a 
peach  orchard  attached  to  it,  as  an  apple  or- 
chard would  be  in  England.  The  peaches 
were  distilled  into  brandy,  but  the  pigs  fed 
upon  the  refuse,  as  well  as  upon  such  fruit 
as  fell  from  the  trees. 

As  we  crossed  the  Susquehannah,  I  cast  a 
farewell  look  upon  the  wild  beauties  of  that 
river.  It  was  dark  before  we  reached  the 
"  Head  of  Elk."  Here  things  were  much 
changed  since  I  passed  before.  There  was 
indeed  the  same  number  of  beds  in  the  room, 
but  the  landlord  was  no  longer  surly,  but  ex- 
tremely civil,  and  gave  us  a  supper  that  made 
the  best  possible  amends  to  the  Frenchman 
for  the  loss  of  his  dinner. 

nth  May. — Leave  the  "  Head  of  Elk  "  at 
five  o'clock.  Breakfast  at  Newark,  and  at 
three  in  the  afternoon  reach  Philadelphia. 
Finding  dinner  prepared  at  the  inn,  I  dined 
there  and  afterwards  proceeded  to  Fourth 
Street,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Francis,  and  the 
good-tempered  negress,  and  all  my  friends, 
were  glad  to  see  me.  My  notes  say,  "  Glad 
126 


to  get  to  a  good  mattress  again."  In  the  even- 
ing I  went  to  the  play,  the  "  Moghol  Tale." 

The  excursion  which  I  had  made  had  quite 
succeeded.  The  country,  towns,  villages, 
state  of  society,  were  full  of  interest  in  their 
present  condition,  while  their  futurity  pre- 
sented a  picture  the  most  pleasing — the  for- 
ests I  had  passed  through  converted  into 
fertile  plains,  and  the  solitary  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  the  Susquehannah,  the  Elk,  and 
the  Patapsco,  covered  with  a  free  and  intel- 
ligent population.  One  of  the  many  improve- 
ments already  spoken  of  is  the  junction  of 
the  Chesapeak  and  Delaware  by  cutting 
through  the  isthmus  which  now  separates 
them.  There  will  then  be  an  inland  water 
communication  between  Philadelphia,  An- 
napolis, Alexandria,  and  Washington. 

I2th  May. — Hearing  that  the  American 
ship  Atlantic  would  sail  in  a  few  days  for 
England,  I  walked  down  to  the  Delaware, 
and  liking  the  appearance  of  the  vessel,  I 
took  my  passage  in  her,  engaging  one  of  the 
state-rooms,  a  name  rather  absurdly  be- 
stowed upon  a  very  small  berth  by  the  side 
of  the  great  cabin  or  public-room,  and  feebly 
lighted  from  it  by  a  glass  in  the  door.  The 
ship  appeared  to  be  about  300  tons,  or  nearly 
127  • 


the  size  of  the  India.  Called  afterwards  at 
Mr.  Bingham's,  where  I  found  my  Cabul 
sheep  grazing  in  good  health  on  the  gar- 
den lawn.  Visited  Dr.  Ross  and  other 
friends. 

ijth  May. — At  one  o'clock  to-day  I  called 
at  General  Washington's  with  the  picture 
and  letter  I  had  for  him.  He  lived  in  a  small 
red  brick  house  on  the  left  side  of  High 
Street,  not  much  higher  up  than  Fourth 
Street.  There  was  nothing  in  the  exterior 
of  the  house  that  denoted  the  rank  of  its 
possessor.  Next  door  was  a  hair -dresser. 
Having  stated  my  object  to  a  servant  who 
came  to  the  door,  I  was  conducted  up  a  neat 
but  rather  narrow  staircase,  carpeted  in  the 
middle,  and  was  shown  into  a  middling-sized, 
well -furnished  drawing-room  on  the  left  of 
the  passage.  Nearly  opposite  the  door  was 
the  fireplace,  with  a  wood -fire  in  it.  The 
floor  was  carpeted.  On  the  left  of  the  fire- 
place was  a  sofa,  which  sloped  across  the 
room.  There  were  no  pictures  on  the  walls, 
no  ornaments  on  the  chimney-piece.  Two 
windows  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  looked 
into  the  street.  There  was  nobody  in  the 
room,  but  in  a  minute  Mrs.  Washington 
came  in,  when  I  repeated  the  object  of  my 
128 


calling,  and  put  into  her  hands  the  letter  for 
General  Washington,  and  his  miniature.  She 
said  she  would  deliver  them  to  the  President, 
and,  inviting  me  to  sit  down,  retired  for  that 
purpose.  She  soon  returned,  and  said  the 
President  would  come  presently.  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington was  a  middle-sized  lady,  rather  stout ; 
her  manner  extremely  kind  and  unaffected. 
She  sat  down  on  the  sofa,  and  invited  me  to 
sit  by  her.  I  spoke  of  the  pleasant  days  I 
had  passed  at  Washington,  and  of  the  atten- 
tions I  had  received  from  her  granddaughter, 
Mrs.  Law. 

While  engaged  in  this  conversation,  but 
with  my  thoughts  turned  to  the  expected  ar- 
rival of  the  General,  the  door  opened,  and 
Mrs.  Washington  and  myself  rising,  she  said, 
"  The  President,"  and  introduced  me  to  him. 
Never  did  I  feel  more  interest  than  at  this 
moment,  when  I  saw  the  tall,  upright,  vener- 
able figure  of  this  great  man  advancing  tow- 
ards me  to  take  me  by  the  hand.  There  was 
a  seriousness  in  his  manner  which  seemed  to 
contribute  to  the  impressive  dignity  of  his 
person,  without  diminishing  the  confidence 
and  ease  which  the  benevolence  of  his  coun- 
tenance and  the  kindness  of  his  address  in- 
spired. There  are  persons  in  whose  appear- 


ance  one  looks  in  vain  for  the  qualities  they 
are  known  to  possess,  but  the  appearance  of 
General  Washington  harmonized  in  a  singu- 
lar manner  with  the  dignity  and  modesty  of 
his  public  life.  So  completely  did  he  look  the 
great  and  good  man  he  really  was,  that  I  felt 
rather  respect  than  awe  in  his  presence,  and 
experienced  neither  the  surprise  nor  disap- 
pointment with  which  a  personal  introduc- 
tion to  distinguished  individuals  is  often  ac- 
companied. 

The  General  having  thanked  me  for  the 
picture,  requested  me  to  sit  down  next  the 
fire,  Mrs.  Washington  being  on  the  sofa  on 
the  other  side,  and  himself  taking  a  chair  in 
the  middle.  He  now  inquired  about  my  ar- 
rival in  America,  my  voyage,  my  late  journey, 
and  his  granddaughters,  Mrs.  Law  and  her 
sister,  who  had  accompanied  me  to  Alexan- 
dria. He  asked  me  my  opinion  of  that  town, 
and  seemed  pleased  with  the  account  I  gave 
of  the  extraordinary  activity  I  had  observed 
there.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation  I 
mentioned  the  particular  regard  and  respect 
with  which  Lord  Cornwall  is  always  spoke  of 
him.  He  received  this  communication  in  the 
most  courteous  manner,  inquired  about  his 
lordship,  and  expressed  for  him  much  esteem. 


Speaking  about  the  intercourse  between  In- 
dia and  America,  I  said  that  I  thought  the 
United  States  had  gained  a  great  point  by 
the  right  of  trading  conceded  by  the  thir- 
teenth article  of  Mr.  Jay's  treaty,  and  I  men- 
tioned at  the  same  time  the  facilities  of 
which  this  commerce  was  susceptible,  to  the 
equal  advantage  of  America  and  India,  now 
that  it  rested  upon  a  legal  basis. 

I  stated  these  opinions  because  the  treaty 
in  question,  which  had  been  approved  by  the 
existing  Government,  had  caused  some  un- 
reasonable animadversion  amongst  the  op- 
posers  of  the  administration  at  this  period.  I 
observed  that  the  measure  was  one  to  which 
the  East  India  Company  might  object,  as  in- 
terfering with  their  chartered  privileges,  al- 
though in  a  manner  favorable  to  the  com- 
mercial population  of  India ;  but  that  it  was 
in  every  respect  advantageous  to  the  United 
States,  enlarging  a  communication  that  be- 
fore was  confined,  and  legalizing  what  was 
arbitrary  and  subject  to  prohibition. 

The  General  asked  me  some  questions  about 
Calcutta,  the  natives  of  India,  the  Ganges,  and 
the  interior  of  the  country.  Upon  my  in- 
quiring if  coal  had  yet  been  found  in  the 
States  of  the  Union,  he  said  that  it  had  been 


discovered  in  various  parts,  and  that  mines 
would  doubtless  be  opened  and  worked  when 
the  diminished  abundance  of  wood  should  di- 
rect the  public  attention  to  this  subject. 

After  sitting  about  three  quarters  of  an 
hour,  I  rose  to  take  leave,  when  the  General 
invited  me  to  drink  tea  with  him  that  even- 
ing. I  regret  to  say  that  I  declined  this  honor 
on  account  of  some  other  engagement  —  a 
wrong  and  injudicious  decision,  for  which  I 
have  since  reproached  myself.  No  engage- 
ment should  have  prevented  my  accepting 
such  an  invitation.  If  forwardness  on  such 
occasions  be  displeasing,  an  excess  of  delicacy 
and  reserve  is  scarcely  less  to  be  avoided. 
However,  this  private  intercourse  with  one 
of  the  most  unblemished  characters  that  any 
country  has  produced  had  entirely  satisfied 
me,  and  greatly  exceeded  my  previous  ex- 
pectations, which  had  been  limited  to  the 
usual  transient  introduction  at  a  public  levee. 
This,  then,  forms  one  of  my  most  memorable 
days.  The  moment  when  the  great  Washing- 
ton entered  the  room,  and  Mrs.  Washington 
said,  "  The  President,"  made  an  impression 
on  my  mind  which  no  subsequent  years  can 
efface. 

The  General's  age  was  rather  more  than 


sixty -four.  In  person  he  was  tall,  well- 
proportioned,  and  upright.  His  hair  was 
powdered  and  tied  behind.  Although  his 
deportment  was  that  of  a  general,  the  ex- 
pression of  his  features  had  rather  the  calm 
dignity  of  a  legislator  than  the  severity  of  a 
soldier.  He  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was 
now  contemplating  his  final  retirement  to 
Mount  Vernon,  his  favorite  residence,  situ- 
ated in  that  State,  a  few  miles  only  below 
Alexandria.  Shortly  after  the  period  of  my 
introduction  he  expressed  his  intentions  in 
a  feeling  address,  of  which  the  following  are 
a  few  extracts : 

"Friends  and  Fellow-Citizens, — The  period  for  a 
new  election  of  a  citizen  to  administer  the  Execu- 
tive Government  of  the  United  States  being  not 
far  distant,  and  the  time  being  actually  arrived 
when  your  thoughts  must  be  employed  in  designat- 
ing the  person  who  is  to  be  clothed  with  that  im- 
portant trust,  it  appears  to  me  proper  to  conduce 
to  a  more  distinct  expression  of  the  public  voice, 
that  I  should  now  apprise  you  of  the  resolution  I 
have  formed,  to  decline  being  considered  among 
the  number  of  those  of  whom  a  choice  is  to  be 
made.  I  confidently  hoped  it  would  have  been 
much  earlier  in  my  power,  consistently  with  mo- 
tives which  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  disregard,  to  re- 
133 


turn  to  that  retirement  from  which  I  had  been  re- 
luctantly drawn.  Every  day  the  increasing  weight 
of  years  admonishes  me  more  and  more  that  the 
shade  of  retirement  is  as  necessary  as  it  is  welcome. 
Satisfied  that,  if  any  circumstances  have  given  pe- 
culiar value  to  my  services,  they  were  temporary,  I 
•have  the  consolation  to  believe  that  while  choice 
and  prudence  invite  me  to  quit  the  political  scene, 
patriotism  does  not  forbid  me. 

"  In  looking  forward  to  the  moment  which  is  in- 
tended to  terminate  the  career  of  my  public  life, 
my  feelings  do  not  permit  me  to  suspend  the  deep 
acknowledgment  of  that  debt  of  gratitude  which  I 
owe  to  my  beloved  country,  for  the  many  honors  it 
has  conferred  upon  me.  The  constancy  of  your 
support  was  the  essential  prop  of  my  efforts,  and 
the  guarantee  of  my  plans.  Profoundly  penetrated 
with  this  idea,  I  shall  carry  it  with  me  to  the  grave, 
as  a  strong  incitement  to  unceasing  vows,  that 
Heaven  may  continue  to  you  the  choicest  tokens  of 
its  beneficence;  that  your  union  and  brotherly  love 
may  be  perpetual ;  that  the  free  Constitution  which 
is  the  work  of  your  hands  may  be  sacredly  main- 
tained; that  its  administration  in  every  part  may 
be  stamped  with  wisdom  and  virtue;  that,  in  fine, 
the  happiness  of  the  people  of  these  States,  under 
the  auspices  of  liberty,  may  be  made  complete  by 
so  careful  a  preservation  and  so  prudent  a  use  of 
this  blessing,  as  will  acquire  to  them  the  glory 
of  recommending  it  to  the  applause,  the  affection, 
134 


and  adoption  of  every  nation  which  is  a  stranger 
to  it. 

' '  Observe  good  faith  and  justice  towards  all  na- 
tions ;  cultivate  peace  and  harmony  with  all.  How 
far,  in  the  discharge  of  my  official  duties,  I  have 
been  governed  by  the  principles  which  I  have  de- 
lineated, the  public  records,  and  other  evidences  of 
my  conduct, 'must  witness  to  you  and  to  the  world. 
To  myself,  the  assurance  of  my  own  conscience  is, 
that  I  have,  at  least,  believed  myself  to  be  guided 
by  them.  Though,  in  reviewing  the  incidents  of 
my  administration,  I  am  unconscious  of  intentional 
error,  I  am  nevertheless  too  sensible  of  my  defects 
not  to  think  it  probable  I  have  committed  many 
errors.  Whatever  they  may  be,  I  fervently  beseech 
the  Almighty  to  avert  or  mitigate  the  evils  to  which 
they  may  tend.  I  shall  also  carry  with  me  the  hope 
that  my  country  will  never  cease  to  view  them  with 
indulgence,  and  that  after  forty  -  five  years  of  my 
life  dedicated  to  its  service,  with  an  upright  zeal, 
the  faults  of  incompetent  abilities  will  be  consigned 
to  oblivion,  as  myself  must  soon  be  to  the  mansions 
of  rest.  Relying  on  its  kindness  in  this  and  other 
things,  and  actuated  by  that  fervent  love  towards 
it  which  is  natural  to  a  man  who  views  in  it  the 
native  soil  of  himself  and  family  for  several  gener- 
ations, I  anticipate,  with  pleasing  expectation,  that 
retreat  in  which  I  promise  myself  to  realize,  with- 
out alloy,  the  sweet  enjoyment  of  partaking,  in  the 
midst  of  my  fellow-citizens,  of  the  benign  influence 
135 


of  good  laws  under  a  free  Government,  the  ever- 
favorite  object  of  my  heart,  and  the  happy  reward, 
as  I  trust,  of  our  cares,  labors,  and  dangers." 

General  Washington  had  retired  to  Mount 
Vernon  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  remained 
there  till  1789,  when  the  general  voice  of  his 
country  called  him  from  his  pastoral  pursuits 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  Government.  He 
was  re-elected  to  this  office  in  1793.  His 
healthy  and  robust  appearance,  when  I  saw 
him,  seemed  to  promise  a  longer  enjoyment 
of  repose  in  his  retirement  near  the  banks  of 
the  Potomac ;  but  a  cold  caught  at  Mount 
Vernon  on  the  I3th  December,  1799,  termi- 
nated his  life  on  the  following  day. 

1 4th.  —  Visited  the  National  Museum. 
Amongst  a  collection  of  curiosities,  yet  in  its 
commencement,  I  saw  my  great  shell. 

i$th.  —  Being  unwell,  I  spent  the  greater 
part  of  this  day  at  home.  Packed  and  pre- 
pared for  my  voyage. 

Sunday,  i6th.  —  In  a  sermon  Dr.  Priestley 
preached  to-day,  he  referred  to  what  I  had 
said  to  him  about  the  Hindoos.  Dined  with 
Mr.  Bingham,  Mr.  Baring,  Count  de  Noailles, 
and  several  members  of  the  two  Houses  of 
Congress  —  in  all  a  large  party.  After  the 
136 


company  had  retired,  remained  with  the 
family*  and  Mr.  Baring. 

17 th. — Saw  Captain  Langford,  and  found 
that  his  ship,  the  Atlantic,  would  not  sail  for 
some  days.  In  consequence  of  this  delay,  I 
determined  to  set  out  for  New  York,  to  en- 
deavor to  find  out  a  friend  there,  about  whom 
I  could  obtain  no  information.  We  had  been 
intimate  at  school  before  I  sailed  for  India ; 
and  though  our  wide  separation  —  he  in  the 
New  World,  I  in  the  Old — had  put  an  end  to 
all  communication,  it  had  not  diminished  my 
regard  for  him.  I  took  my  place  in  the  New 
York  stage-wagon  for  the  next  day. 

i8th. — At  5  P.M.  start  for  New  York  with 
other  passengers.  The  carriage  was  exactly 
similar  to  those  already  described.  The  first 
stage  was  through  Frankfort,  Holmsburgh, 
and  Harlington,  inconsiderable  villages  nearly 
at  equal  distances  from  each  other,  to  Bristol, 
twelve  miles  from  Philadelphia.  The  Dela- 
ware was  only  a  short  distance  from  us,  on 
our  right,  but  was  not  visible.  Its  course 
here  was  about  southwest,  and  our  direction 
was  nearly  parallel  to  it,  or  northeast.  Hav- 

*  The  family  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bingham  and  two 
daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  afterwards  married  to  the 
Mr.  Baring  here  mentioned,  afterwards  Lord  Ashburton. 
137 


ing  changed  horses  at  Bristol,  we  passed 
through  the  hamlets  of  Tullytown  and  Ty- 
burn to  Morrisville,  or  Morristown,  as  it  is 
also  called,  and  soon  after  arrived  on  the 
banks  of  the  Delaware,  here  considerably  less 
wide  than  at  Philadelphia.  A  large  flat-bot- 
tomed boat  took  us  over  to  Trenton,  a  small 
town,  but  the  metropolis  of  the  State  of  New 
Jersey,  which  we  entered  here.  This  is  the 
highest  point  to  which  the  Delaware  is  navi- 
gable, there  being  falls  above  the  ferry,  simi- 
lar to  those  on  the  Potomac  above  George- 
town, and  both  apparently  proceeding  from 
the  same  cause,  the  depression  or  lower  level 
of  the  country  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 

Trenton  was  the  scene  of  a  brilliant  exploit 
of  General  Washington  during  the  late  war. 
A  regiment  of  Hessians,  in  the  pay  of  Great 
Britain,  being  stationed  there,  Washington 
formed  a  plan  for  surprising  it.  Having 
thrown  some  troops  across  the  river,  just  be- 
low the  falls,  to  get  into  the  rear  of  the  ene- 
my and  cut  off  their  retreat,  he  fixed  upon 
the  night  of  Christmas  Day  for  passing  the 
river  himself  at  the  ferry,  and  notwithstanding 
the  greatest  obstacles,  arising  from  the  dark- 
ness and  from  the  difficulty  of  the  passage, 
obstructed  by  ice,  succeeded  in  surprising  the 
138 


detachment  so  completely  that  he  took  nine 
hundred  men  and  several  pieces  of  artillery. 

iQtk. — At  Trenton  we  left  the  Delaware 
and  proceeded  in  a  northeasterly  direction 
across  New  Jersey.  Early  in  the  morning  we 
reached  Princeton,  another  place,  like  Tren- 
ton and  Brandywine,  grateful  to  the  recol- 
lection of  the  Americans ;  General  Washing- 
ton having  in  the  year  1777,  not  long  after 
his  success  against  the  Hessians,  surprised 
and  dislodged  a  considerable  British  force 
stationed  here.  Princeton  possesses  one  of 
the  largest  colleges  in  the  United  States.  Its 
situation  between  two  of  the  principal  cities 
of  the  Union  appears  favorable  to  such  an  in- 
stitution, particularly  as  the  position  is  pleas- 
ant and  salubrious.  It  is  a  large  stone  build- 
ing, not  far  from  the  road-side.  I  walked 
towards  it  while  the  wagon  stopped,  but  had 
not  time  to  see  the  interior.  Its  library  was 
said  to  exceed  three  thousand  volumes. 

At  the  distance  of  eight  miles  from  Prince- 
ton we  reached  Brunswick,  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Raritan  River,  about  twelve 
miles  from  its  entrance  into  Raritan  Bay  at 
Perth  Amboy.  Here  also  is  a  collage  called 
Queen's  College.  Small  sea  craft  passing 
through  Raritan  Bay  can  come  nearly  as  high 
139 


as  the  handsojne  bridge  which  has  lately 
been  built  at  this  town.  We  next  passed 
through  Elizabethtown,  pleasantly  situated 
upon  a  small  stream  of  which  I  did  not  learn 
the  name.  It  doubtless  flowed  from  the  line 
of  hills  in  the  interior,  and  ran  into  Raritan 
Bay. 

Seven  miles  farther  we  came  to  Newark, 
which  I  thought  one  of  the  neatest  and  pret- 
tiest towns  I  had  seen.  I  was  told  that  many 
families  of  Dutch  extraction  resided  here, 
and  it  appeared  that  they  kept  up  their  na- 
tional habits  of  order  and  cleanliness.  I  was 
struck  with  the  pleasant  situation  of  some 
white  detached  houses  which  I  observed  on 
some  high  ground  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the 
left  of  the  road.  I  told  my  companions  that 
if  I  settled  in  America  I  should  be  induced 
to  prefer  that  spot  to  any  I  had  yet  seen. 

Soon  after  leaving  Newark  we  came  to  the 
edge  of  a  steep  hill  leading  down  to  a  long 
wooden  bridge  over  the  Passaic.  The  wagon 
being  full,  the  driver  stopped,  and  begged  a 
negro,  who  was  sitting  by  his  side,  to  walk 
down  the  hill;  and  but  for  the  inconvenience 
of  getting  out  of  the  wagon,  he  would  prob- 
ably have  desired  the  other  passengers  to  do 
the  same.  The  inability  of  the  horses  to  keep 


back  the  carriage  was  soon  apparent,  and  be- 
came more  manifest  every  moment.  They 
twice,  however,  succeeded  in  checking  it  for 
an  instant,  but  were  overpowered  by  the 
weight,  and  forced  forward  with  greater  vio- 
lence than  before,  and  were  so  little  under 
command  that  it  seemed  not  improbable, 
even  if  we  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  descent, 
that  we  should  either  run  against  the  bridge 
or  go  into  the  river,  to  which  there  was  a 
wide  opening  on  each  side.  Again,  how- 
ever, the  wheelers,  throwing  themselves  back, 
stopped  the  wagon,  but  the  leaders,  for  some 
reason  or  other,  got  round  with  their  heads 
towards  the  hill.  In  this  state  of  disorder  it 
was  difficult  to  foresee  what  would  be  the 
effect  of  the  next  plunge.  It  was  evident,  at 
all  events,  that  this  was  the  moment  for  es- 
caping from  the  carriage.  This  idea  seemed 
to  strike  all  the  passengers  at  once,  for  all 
were  in  motion  scrambling  to  get  out.  To 
such  as  were  upon  the  front  and  hindmost 
benches  there  was  no  great  difficulty,  but  they 
who,  like  myself,  were  upon  the  middle  seat 
could  not  stir  till  the  others  made  way ;  and 
there  was  no  time  to  lose.  Finding,  there- 
fore, that  I  could  not  get  out  either  behind 
or  before,  I  mounted  upon  the  side  rail  and 


jumped,  or  rather  dropped  down,  for  I  was  so 
doubled  by  the  roof  and  so  kept  back  by  the 
great  leather  curtain  that  it  was  quite  impossi- 
ble to  make  a  proper  spring;  and  I  consequent- 
ly fell  perpendicularly  down  before  the  off  hind 
wheel,  and  reaching  the  ground  in  a  bent 
position  I  rolled  under  the  wagon,  or,  rather, 
partly  under  it,  so  that  the  wheel  must  have 
passed  over  me  if  one  of  the  passengers,  who 
had  escaped  from  behind,  had  not  run  and 
drawn  me  clear.  The  leaders  having  been 
pulled  straight,  the  wheelers  again  threw 
themselves  forward,  and  before  I  was  upon 
my  legs  all  four  went  off  at  full  gallop,  my 
companions  in  the  middle  seat  still  in  their 
places,  not  having  had  time  to  escape.  It 
was  painful  to  see  the  danger  to  which  these 
persons  and  the  coachman  were  exposed,  for 
it  seemed  very  doubtful  whether  the  latter 
would  be  able  to  hit  the  bridge,  which  was 
much  narrower  than  the  opening  on  either 
side  leading  to  the  water.  But  we  soon  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  stage  safe  upon 
the  planks,  along  which  it  went  at  a  great 
rate,  the  driver  not  being  able  to  stop  the 
horses.  The  negro,  who  had  now  reached 
the  middle  of  the  bridge,  hearing  the  carriage 
come  clattering  behind  him,  got  out  of  the 


way,  not  however  to  insure  his  own  safety, 
but  to  risk  his  life  in  a  daring  attempt  to  save 
the  persons  stilt  in  the  wagon.  He  held  him- 
self close  to  the  side  of  the  bridge  ready  to 
make  a  dash,  and  when  the  leaders  came  op- 
posite to  him,  sprang  forward  and  seized  the 
bridle  of  the  near  horse.  All,  however,  still 
continued  to  gallop,  dragging  the  negro  with 
them ;  but  this  bold  African  kept  his  hold, 
and  the  driver  pulling  at  the  same  time,  they 
were  stopped  a  short  distance  beyond  the 
bridge. 

My  attention  had  been  so  engaged  with 
this  singular  spectacle  that  I  had  scarcely 
thought  of  a  cut  I  had  received  on  my  right 
leg.  I  could  not  very  well  tell  how  this  hap- 
pened, whether  by  a  stone  in  the  road  or  by 
my  having  grazed  against  the  hind  wheel  as 
I  fell.  One  of  the  passengers  kindly  lending 
me  his  arm,  I  crossed  the  bridge  and  resumed 
my  place  in  the  wagon.  My  leg  becoming 
very  painful,  the  passengers  seated  before  me 
obligingly  made  room  for  me  to  rest  it  on 
their  bench,  and  were  in  every  respect  most 
polite  and  civil.  Four  miles  farther  we  came 
to  a  bridge  over  the  Hackinsack,  a  small  river 
that  runs  into  Newark  Bay.  Two  miles  far- 
ther the  country  became  low  and  wet,  having 
143 


the  appearance  of  a  great  swamp  formed  by 
the  inundations  of  the  Hudson,  which  we 
were  now  approaching,  or  by  the  encroach- 
ment of  the  waters  of  Raritan  Bay,  which 
may  be  considered  the  Chesapeak  of  the  Jer- 
sey States.  The  road  across  this  marsh  was 
formed  by  trees  laid  across  it  and  covered 
with  earth.  Though  we  went  slowly  here,  the 
jolting  as  the  wheels  passed  from  tree  to  tree 
was  very  great,  and  caused  much  uneasiness 
to  my  leg,  which  had  swelled  considerably. 

After  a  mile  and  a  half  of  this  most  rough 
road  we  arrived  at  Pawles  Hook,  situated  on 
the  edge  of  New  York  Bay,  and  immediately 
opposite  that  city.  Though  yet  but  a  small 
village,  it  reminded  my  companions  of  an 
event  honorable  to  the  arms  of  their  country, 
a  British  post  having  been  surprised  here 
during  the  war  by  Major  Lee,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  officers  of  the  American 
army.  Here  we  embarked  in  a  large  boat, 
and  the  wind  being  favorable,  had  a  fine  sail 
across  the  bay,  whose  width  exceeded  two 
miles.  The  view  of  New  York  in  front,  of  the 
more  expanded  bay  and  three  small  islands 
to  the  right,  and  the  Hudson  on  our  left,  was 
magnificent.  I  could  neither  conceal  nor  ex- 
press the  surprise  and  delight  it  afforded  me. 
144 


Having  landed  at  a  quay  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  city,  we  proceeded  through  sev- 
eral narrow  streets  to  the  inn.  The  state  of 
my  leg  would  have  induced  me  to  remain 
here,  but  the  situation  was  not  desirable,  and 
a  noted  boarding-house  at  the  end  of  Broad- 
way had  been  particularly  recommended  to 
me.  The  same  friendly  Samaritan  from  whom 
I  had  already  received  so  much  attention  be- 
came my  guide  to  it,  but  on  our  way  he  pre- 
vailed on  me  to  accompany  him  first  to  a 
surgeon,  a  friend  of  his.  In  a  country  where 
a  gentleman's  coachman  is  obliged  to  be  his 
own  smith,  it  was  not  surprising  that  a  sur- 
geon should  be  an  apothecary,  as  no  beggarly 
account  of  empty  bottles  showed  this  practi- 
tioner to  be.  I  had  much  difficulty  in  per- 
suading my  kind  companion  to  leave  me  in 
the  hands  in  which  he  had  placed  me,  nor 
would  he  consent  to  this  till  his  friend  had 
ascertained  that  my  leg  was  not  materially 
injured,  though  the  necessity,  he  announced 
whilst  dressing  it,  of  a  few  days'  rest  was  par- 
ticularly unwelcome,  on  account  of  the  sailing 
of  the  Atlantic,  in  which  I  had  taken  my 
passage,  as  well  as  of  the  mortification  of  be- 
ing confined  to  my  room  during  my  stay  in 
New  York. 

K  145 


I  easily  found  my  way  to  the  great  board- 
ing-house, but  the  first  thing  I  learned  here 
was  that  every  room  was  engaged.  This  was 
a  great  disappointment  to  me,  both  on  ac- 
count of  my  lameness  and  the  singular  ad- 
vantage of  the  situation,  the  house  being 
close  to  the  Battery,  which  had  formed  so 
fine  an  object  in  our  passage  across  the  river, 
and  from  which  there  is  a  view  which  has 
not,  perhaps,  many  rivals  in  the  world,  com- 
manding the  bay  of  New  York,  four  miles 
wide,  and  its  three  islands,  the  Hudson,  the 
Jersey  shore,  the  opening  into  Newark  Bay, 
and  the  whole  length  of  the  river  to  Fort  La 
Fayette  on  the  northern,  and  Sandy  Hook 
on  the  southern  shore  of  the  entrance  into 
the  Atlantic.  All  this,  enlivened  by  the  great 
passage  to  Pawles  Hook,  on  the  Jersey  shore, 
and  the  numberless  sails  employed  in  the 
great  maritime  and  inland  commerce  of  New 
York,  presented  a  splendid  scene,  and  made 
me  regret  that  I  could  not  be  admitted  into 
Mrs.  Hodge's  boarding-house,  the  "  Star  and 
Garter  "  of  this  fine  prospect.  I  accordjngly 
hobbled  back  up  Broadway,  and  then  turned 
to  the  right,  nearly  in  the  direction  of  the 
quay  at  which  I  had  landed,  inquiring  as  I 
went  for  a  good  tavern,  but  could  not, hear 
146 


of  one.  Everybody  recommended  me  to  Mrs. 
Hodge's,  the  house  I  had  just  left. 

It  being  now  almost  dark,  and  my  leg  be- 
coming more  inflamed  and  painful,  I  allowed 
a  civil  man,  to  whom  I  applied  in  the  street, 
to  conduct  me  to  a  small  boarding-house 
not  far  from  the  City  Hall,  which  we  passed. 
The  kind  behavior  of  the  ladies  who  received 
me,  the  real  concern  they  expressed  at  the 
state  in  which  I  presented  myself,  satisfied  me 
that  the  dull  little  room  which  they  showed 
me  was,  as  they  declared,  the  best  they  had, 
and  induced  me  to  accept  it  thankfully. 
These  good  women  soon  had  tea  ready  for 
me  in  their  parlor,  and  their  attentions  at 
once  banished  all  regret  that  the  window  of 
my  chamber  did  not  look  upon  the  fine  view 
from  the  Battery.  They  expressed  some 
surprise  when  they  found  that  I  came  from 
India.  I  hoped  to  obtain  some  information 
from  them  about  Mr.  Shaw,  but  they  were 
not  acquainted  with  him. 

2oth. — After  breakfasting  with  the  ladies  of 
the  house,  I  walked  to  my  surgeon,  who  still 
urged  rest,  the  most  inconvenient  remedy  in 
my  present  position.  Neither  could  he  give 
me  any  information  about  my  schoolfellow. 
But  I  recollected  hearing  the  latter  speak  of 


his  uncle,  Mr.  John  Shaw,  and  having  ob- 
tained his  address,  I  went  to  his  house.  He 
received  me  in  the  American  way,  with  his 
hat  on,  at  the  top  of  his  steps,  and  without 
any  invitation  to  walk  in.  He  evinced  but 
little  interest  in  my  inquiries,  and  seemed  to 
know  but  little  about  his  nephew;  but  he 
told  me  where  I  might  hear  of  him,  and  with 
this  information  I  set  off.  I  judged  from 
this  interview  that  the  uncle  and  nephew 
were  not  upon  the  best  terms — a  notion,  in- 
deed, with  which  I  had  been  somewhat  im- 
pressed before. 

I  found  out  the  small  street  and  small 
house  to  which  I  had  been  directed,  but  was 
told  by  the  maid  who  opened  the  door  that 
Mr.  Gabriel  Shaw  was  not  in  New  York. 
Two  ladies  of  the  house  to  whom  I  desired 
the  maid  to  introduce  me,  confirmed  this 
unexpected  intelligence,  with  the  kindest  ex- 
pression of  sympathy  in  my  disappointment. 
They  said  he  was  absent  with  some  friends 
on  a  foot  excursion,  and  that  the  time  of 
his  return  was  uncertain.  I  left  my  address, 
and  promised  to  return  the  next  morning. 
I  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  at  my  lodg- 
ing, principally  in  the  agreeable  society  of 
the  ladies  of  the  house.  I  was  the  only 
148 


lodger,  but  two  or  three  gentlemen  came  to 
dinner. 

2ist—  Called  at  Mr.  Shaw's  lodging,  but  the 
ladies  could  only  repeat  what  they  had  told 
me  the  preceding  day.  Mr.  Shaw's  return 
being  thus  uncertain,  I  should  have  set  out 
for  Philadelphia  immediately  if  my  lameness 
had  permitted  me  to  travel,  for  I  was  much 
afraid  of  losing  my  passage  in  the  Atlantic. 
I  remained  at  home  till  the  afternoon,  and 
then  walked  with  my  stick  to  the  quays 
situated  upon  the  entrance  into  East  River, 
a  narrow  channel  which  separates  Long  Isl- 
and from  the  continent.  I  saw  many  vessels, 
principally  American,  alongside  the  wharfs, 
to  which  there  is  a  direct  and  safe  access 
from  the  sea,  through  the  fine  bay,  called  the 
Bay  of  New  York,  formed  by  the  Hudson  in 
the  lower  part  of  its  course,  a  spacious  navi- 
gation of  only  twenty  miles  from  the  Nar- 
rows, or  entrance  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
With  these  advantages,  New  York,  for  mari- 
time communication,  possesses  an  evident 
superiority  over  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Al- 
exandria, and  Washington,  and  may  conse- 
quently be  considered  the  first  port  of  the 
United  States.  It  possesses  other  advantages 
not  less  evident,  in  an  extraordinary  facility 


of  intercourse  with  an  extensive  and  already 
populous  interior,  by  means  of  the  Hudson 
River,  navigable  for  small  sloops  for  nearly 
200  miles  from  the  sea,  thus  affording  a  com- 
munication with  Albany,  150  miles  above 
New  York,  and  thence  with  the  whole  coun- 
try bordering  upon  Lakes  Erie,  Ontario,  and 
Michigan,  the  first  230  miles  in  length,  the 
second  180,  and  the  last,  which  is  entirely 
American,  300, 

Albany,  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Hudson,  half-way  between  these  lakes  and 
New  York,  can  hardly  fail  of  acquiring  great 
commercial  importance,  as  the  vast  countries 
which  encircle  these  inland  seas  shall  ad- 
vance in  population  and  prosperity.  I  heard 
an  intelligent  American  —  and  few  are  the 
Americans  who  are  not  intelligent  upon 
every  subject  requiring  judgment  and  fore- 
sight—  declare  that  if  he  were  to  buy  land 
anywhere,  he  would  prefer  Albany  to  any 
spot  in  the  Union.  The  only  circumstance 
unfavorable  to  this  position  that  I  heard  of 
was  the  impetuosity  of  the  Hudson,  which 
rendered  its  navigation  slow  and  expensive, 
and  somewhat  dangerous.  It  was  observed, 
however,  that  this  same  rapidity  of  the  cur- 
rent prevented  the  accumulation  of  ice,  by 


which  most  of  the  American  rivers  are  ob- 
structed for  a  considerable  time  during  the 
winter. 

From  the  quays  in  Water  Street,  along  the 
shores  of  the  East  River,  I  rounded  the  point 
till  I  came  to  the  Battery  at  the  end  of 
Broadway,  and  from  the  handsome  prome- 
nade which  has  been  made  here  I  contem- 
plated with  more  leisure  than  the  first  even- 
ing the  admirable  view  this  spot  commands. 
I  recalled  to  my  recollection  the  principal 
cities  I  had  seen,  and  could  find  no  one  in 
this  review  whose  situation  was  at  once  so 
advantageous  and  beautiful  as  that  of  New 
York.  The  only  defect  I  could  perceive  was 
its  apparent  exposure  in  time  of  war.  An 
enemy's  squadron  could  in  the  present  state 
of  defence  sail  through  the  Narrows,  and 
anchor  before  the  city  in  three  or  four  hours. 
I  do  not  know  how  far  the  small  batteries 
which  I  saw  on  Governor's  and  Ellis's  islands 
could  be  rendered  available  against  such  an 
aggression ;  but  these  isles  seemed  placed  as 
the  outworks  of  this  position. 

I  was  too  lame  to  walk  up  the  whole  length 
of  Broadway.  I  was  told  that  it  extended 
two  miles,  but  as  it  was  usual  in  America  to 
reckon  as  streets  such  as  were  only  contem- 


plated  and  not  yet  begun,  it  was  not  easy  to 
know  how  much  of  this  great  length  was  im- 
aginary. Although  the  beauty  of  New  York 
is,  for  the  present,  confined  to  its  position,  it 
possessing  no  very  good  street  but  Broad- 
way, and  no  pre-eminent  building  except  the 
Federal  Hall,  it  is,  upon  the  whole,  the  most 
agreeable  as  well  as  the  most  flourishing  city 
in  the  United  States,  combining  the  cheerful- 
ness and  commercial  activity  of  Baltimore 
with  the  extent  and  population  of  Philadel- 
phia. It  was  founded  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century  by  the  Dutch,  conducted  by  Hudson, 
an  Englishman,  who  gave  his  name  to  the 
river;  but  the  settlement  comprehending  the 
States  of  New  York  and  Jersey  was  called 
the  New  Netherlands. 

New  York  is  about  200  miles  southwest  of 
Boston,  and  100  miles  northeast  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  war  the  city 
was  occupied  by  the  British  forces.  These 
having  landed  on  Long  Island  in  1776,  and 
gained  the  battle  of  Flatbush,  General  Wash- 
ington evacuated  the  city,  and  the  English 
taking  possession  of  it,  kept  it,  I  believe, 
without  interruption  till  the  definitive  ratifi- 
cation of  peace  in  1783. 


The  melancholy  affair  of  Major  Andre, 
aide-de-camp  of  General  Clinton,  the  British 
Commander-in-chief,  occurred  during  the  oc- 
cupation of  New  York  by  the  British  head- 
quarters. In  September,  1778,  the  American 
army  being  at  West  Point,  a  fort  upon  the 
Hudson,  forty  miles  above  New  York,  the 
British  General  was  very  desirous  of  getting 
possession  of  that  important  post,  and  his 
views  in  this  respect  were  favored  by  the 
treachery  of  General  Arnold,  of  the  Ameri- 
can army.  Under  the  pretext,  it  is  said,  of 
negotiating  some  point  between  the  two  par- 
ties, General  Clinton  sent  Major  Andre  to 
West  Point ;  but  the  real  object  of  the  mis- 
sion was  to  communicate  secretly  with  Ar- 
nold, and  receive  from  him  such  information 
as  would  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  the 
place.  These  interviews  having,  however, 
excited  suspicion,  the  Major  was  arrested 
one  day  as  he  was  leaving  the  American  lines, 
and  being  searched,  the  plan  of  the  fort  of 
West  Point  and  of  its  approaches  was  found 
on  him. 

Although  the  general  who  adopts  this  ig- 
noble mode  of  warfare  is  more  reprehensible 
than  the  selected  subaltern  who,  from  a  prin- 
ciple of  subordination  and  obedience,  sacri- 
153 


fices  his  life  and  honor  in  an  action  he  dis- 
approves, still  this  unfortunate  discovery 
placed  Major  Andre  in  a  situation  of  extreme 
peril.  Neither  the  desire  of  the  two  generals 
to  take  upon  themselves  exclusively  the  crim- 
inality of  this  transaction,  nor  the  humanity 
of  General  Washington,  nor  the  youth  nor 
accomplishments  of  Major  Andre  could  res- 
cue this  officer  from  his  fate.  Tried  and  con- 
demned as  a  spy,  he  was  executed  not  far 
from  West  Point  in  the  year  1780,  to  the  grief 
of  his  enemies  and  friends. 

While  I  reflected  on  this  deplorable  event 
near  the  scene  on  which  it  occurred,  it  was 
consolatory  to  think  that  this  tragical  history, 
so  far  from  exciting  resentment  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  produced,  on  the  contrary,  an  hon- 
orable sentiment  of  pity  and  respect.  This 
generous  feeling  often  called  the  citizens  of 
New  York  to  West  Point,  there  to  contem- 
plate this  catastrophe,  and  pluck  a  blade  of 
grass  from  the  unfortunate  Andre's  grave. 
Mr.  Shaw  was  now  absent  from  New  York, 
with  a  few  friends,  on  one  of  these  excur- 
sions. 

Arnold,  whose  memory  every  American  de- 
spises, and  no  Englishman  respects,  escaped 
to  the  British  army.  He  afterwards  went  to 
154 


England,  and,  I  believe,  survived  his  disgrace 
many  years. 

22d. — The  inflammation  and  swelling  in  my 
leg  much  reduced.  After  breakfast  I  walked 
to  the  Museum,  the  only  kind  of  exhibition 
yet  to  be  seen  in  America.  It  was  an  older 
and  more  extensive  collection  than  the  simi- 
tar one  at  Philadelphia.  It  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  shells  and  fossils,  and  arms  and 
dresses  of  the  Indian  tribes.  There  was  also 
a  machine,  said  to  exhibit  perpetual  motion. 
It  consisted  of  a  number  of  small  glass  tubes, 
filled  with  a  red  fluid,  which  ran  down  some 
of  the  tubes,  and  ascended  others,  with  an 
activity  that  seemed  likely  to  hold  out  for  the 
time  a  spectator  would  stop  to  observe  it.  I 
was  sorry  I  had  no  Eastern  curiosity  for  this 
collection  also. 

I  had  intended  to  view  the  interior  of  the 
Federal  Hall,  but  was  obliged  to  satisfy  my- 
self with  looking  at  the  outside.  The  Amer- 
ican eagle  and  thirteen  stars  were  the  princi- 
pal ornaments.  The  most  interesting  part 
was  the  spacious  gallery  in  front,  it  being 
here  that  General  Washington,  when  drawn 
from  his  retreat  at  Mount  Vernon,  was  inau- 
gurated President,  taking  the  oath  of  fidelity 
to  his  country  before  Chancellor  Livingstone, 
155 


the  Senate  and  representatives,  and  thou- 
sands of  spectators. 

I  next  walked  to  the  Fish-market,  consid- 
ered by  the  people  of  the  United  States  the 
first  in  America,  and  by  the  inhabitants  of 
New  York  the  first  in  the  world.  I  was  in- 
clined to  think  there  might  be  some  ground 
for  this  pretension.  It  is  said  to  exhibit  eighty 
sorts  of  sea -fish.  The  Americans,  who  are 
newer  and  plainer  in  nothing  than  in  their 
choice  of  names,  whatever  the  object  may  be, 
have  given  the  appellation  of  sheepshead  to 
the  most  esteemed  fish  of  their  coast.  I  had 
no  opportunity  of  judging  of  its  much-boast- 
ed excellence,  nor  of  the  superiority  of  their 
oysters,  so  strongly  contended  for  by  all 
Americans  who  have  had  an  occasion  of  com- 
paring them  with  the  oysters  of  Europe. 

I  did  not  call  upon  Gabriel  Shaw,  because 
I  knew  he  would  call  upon  me  in  case  of  his 
return  ;  but  went  to  the  play  to  see  a  cele- 
brated actress,  the  Siddons  of  America,  and 
sister  indeed  of  the  Mrs.  Siddons  of  the  Lon- 
don stage.  Mrs.  Whitelock  (the  name  of  this 
lady)  bore  a  considerable  resemblance  to  her 
sister,  both  in  person  and  in  acting. 

2jd.  —  The  ladies  with  whom  my  young 
friend  lodged  could  give  me  no  information 


about  him.  They  were  extremely  polite  and 
kind,  and  seemed  to  feel  a  regret  equal  al- 
most to  my  own.  I  now,  therefore,  proceed- 
ed at  once  to  the  stage  -  wagon  office,  and 
took  my  place  for  that  afternoon.  Though 
disappointed  as  to  the  chief  object  of  my  visit 
to  New  York,  the  sight  of  the  city  and  of  its 
admirable  position  had  afforded  me  much 
pleasure.  My  lameness,  however,  had  sub-* 
jected  me  to  some  privations.  I  had  called 
upon  Mr.  Bayard,  who  had  a  brother  in  Ben- 
gal, and  found  him  much  disposed  to  show 
me  every  attention  ;  but  lame  as  I  was,  I  was 
obliged  to  decline  invitations.  The  amiable- 
ness  of  the  family  with  whom  I  lodged  ren- 
dered very  agreeable  the  many  hours  I  passed 
in  their  company.  I  wished,  some  years  after- 
wards, to  send  them  some  token  of  my  re- 
membrance of  their  attentions  from  Bengal, 
but  had  not  preserved  their  name  or  address 
— a  blamable  negligence  which  I  much  re- 
gretted. 

At  a  little  after  twelve  o'clock  I  took  my 
seat  in  the  stage-wagon,  with  only  two  pas- 
sengers, and  these  were  not  going  far.  At  the 
pretty  Dutch  town  of  Newark  one  of  them 
got  out,  and  at  Elizabethtown  the  other, 
when  the  jolting  of  the  uncharged  machine 


became  almost  insupportable.  I  moved  from 
bench  to  bench,  as  a  landsman  does  about  a 
ship,  to  discover  the  part  which  has  the  least 
motion.  I  at  length  stretched  myself  across 
the  seats,  but  the  bounds  of  the  carriage  ren- 
dered sleep,  or  rest  even,  impossible  on  this 
uneven  couch.  The  driver,  accustomed  as  he 
was  to  these  trials,  was  quite  disposed  to  min- 
"gle  his  complaints  with  mine.  I  could  not 
but  pity  his  hard  service,  which  seemed  to  be 
as  injurious  to  health  as  the  roughness  of  a 
camel's  pace.  The  night  was  dark  and  rainy, 
and  yet  he  had  no  light  to  enable  him  to  se- 
lect the  best  part  of  the  road.  At  length, 
after  having  passed  the  Rahway,  a  small 
stream  I  had  not  before  noticed,  we  reached 
New  Brunswick.  Here,  while  changing  horses, 
I  procured  some  straw,  and,  making  myself  a 
bed  upon  the  floor  of  the  wagon  under  the 
benches,  stretched  myself  upon  it  during  the 
rest  of  the  night. 

Having  again  passed  through  Princeton 
and  Trenton,  we  recrossed  the  Delaware,  and 
early  in  the  morning  reached  Bristol.  Here, 
after  the  roughest  night's  journey  I  had  ever 
had  in  a  stage-coach,  I  determined  to  take  a 
few  hours'  sleep,  and  to  hire  a  horse  after 
breakfast  to  take  me  to  Philadelphia,  distant 
158 


only  one  stage.  I  accordingly  ordered  a  bed 
at  the  inn,  at  which  we  stopped  to  change 
horses  ;  but  after  a  long  halt,  during  which  I 
remained  about  the  dark  staircase  and  pas- 
sage, vno  room  of  any  kind  was  shown  me. 
Concluding,  therefore,  that  there  was  no  de- 
sire to  receive  me,  I  decided  upon  coming  on 
with  the  wagon,  and  reached  Philadelphia  in 
time  for  Mrs.  Francis's  breakfast  cakes. 

24th  May. — After  breakfast  I  walked  down 
to  the  Delaware,  where  I  found  the  Atlantic 
ready  for  sea,  and  the  captain  told  me  she 
would  sail  immediately.  I  accordingly  or- 
dered my  trunks  on  board,  and  purchased 
hay  for  my  cow  and  sheep.  The  latter  I  still 
found  on  Mr.  Bingham's  lawn.  Dined  with 
Mr.  Adams  and  the  Members  of  Congress, 
who  welcomed  my  return  with  great  civility. 

25th. — Called  upon  Dr.  Priestley  and  Dr. 
Ross  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bingham.  At  the 
house  of  the  latter  I  was  highly  gratified  to 
find  Mr.  Gilmore  and  his  daughter,  who  had 
just  arrived  from  Baltimore.  I  walked  with 
Miss  Gilmore  to  show  her  my  Bengal  cow, 
and  afterwards  stopped  some  time  at  Mr. 
Bingham's.  As  I  was  walking  up  Chesnut 
Street  this  afternoon  a  tall  gentleman  in  a 
blue  coat,  on  the  opposite  side,  was  pointed 
159 


out  to  me  as  Monsieur  Talleyrand.  I  con- 
cluded he  had  not  yet  been  to  Washington. 
With  a  little  more  of  that  presumption  which 
is  useful  on  some  occasions,  though  often 
offensive  and  never  pleasing,  I  had  perhaps 
sufficient  ground  for  speaking  to  him.  I 
understood  that  the  Bishop,  for  so  he  was 
called  notwithstanding  his  blue  coat,  was  not 
upon  good  terms  with  Mr.  Bingham's  family, 
or  I  should  probably  have  met  him  amongst 
the  other  emigrants  from  France  at  Mrs. 
Bingham's  parties. 

26th. — I  this  morning  went  to  Bryce  and 
Micklewaite's  wharf  on  the  Delaware  to  see 
a  machine  which,  from  the  account  I  had 
heard  of  it,  I  thought  might  be  useful  in 
weighing  goods  in  my  father's  warehouse  in 
London,  the  mode  in  use  there  having  often 
struck  me  as  inconvenient,  requiring  all  the 
ponderous  weights  to  be  removed  from  the 
scale  after  each  weighing,  in  order  that  the 
empty  scale  might  descend  to  the  floor  to 
receive  a  fresh  charge,  when  the  weights, 
some  almost  as  heavy  as  a  porter  could  lift, 
were  replaced  one  by  one — a  tedious  and  la- 
borious operation.  The  object  of  the  con- 
trivance I  now  saw  was  to  obviate  all  this  in- 
convenience by  keeping  the  scale  containing 


the  weights  suspended  after  the  removal  of 
the  goods  from  the  opposite  scale,  which 
thus  remained  flat  upon  the  floor  for  a  new 
supply,  and  all  the  trouble  about  the  weights 
was  merely  to  add  or  subtract  a  few  pounds, 
the  difference  between  the  goods  last  and 
now  weighed.  This  advantage  was  com- 
pletely attained  by  means  of  a  rope  which 
passed  from  the  extremity  of  the  elevated 
beam  round  a  movable  cylinder  of  unequal 
diameter  attached  to  the  wall,  with  a  weight 
fixed  to  the  other  end  of  the  rope,  and  which 
descended  as  the  beam  rose  and  kept  its 
place.  I  should  have  been  glad  to  take  a 
model  or  drawing  of  this  simple,  ingenious 
apparatus,  the  utility  of  which  was  manifest, 
while  it  was  applicable  at  very  little  expense 
and  in  a  very  small  space  (being  fixed  high 
upon  the  wall  out  of  the  way)  in  every  whole- 
sale warehouse  of  weighable  goods. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  Fourth  Street,  as 
I  was  sitting  not  far  from  the  window  of  the 
public  room,  I  saw  a  young  man  pass  and  turn 
up  our  steps  who  looked  very  like  my  old 
school-fellow.  I  was  not  mistaken.  Young 
Shaw,  not  much  changed  in  appearance,  en- 
tered the  room.  Finding  on  his  return  from 
his  excursion  that  I  had  been  to  New  York 


to  see  him,  he  set  off  for  Philadelphia,  and 
had  just  arrived.  Nothing  more  was  want- 
ing to  complete  the  success  of  my  visit  to 
America. 

2jth. — Dr.  Priestley  having  published  a  vol- 
ume of  discourses,  and  alluded  in  the  pref- 
ace to  a  communication  I  had  made  him, 
was  so  good  as  to  send  me  a  copy  of  his 
book.  In  return  I  begged  him  to  accept  a 
copy  of  my  uncle's  Aristotle. 

28th. — The  Atlantic  being  about  to  drop 
down  the  river  to  Newcastle,  I  sent  my  cow, 
sheep,  etc.,  on  board. 

^oth. — I  dined  to-day  with  Mr.  Hamilton, 
a  gentleman  of  large  fortune,  and  formerly 
provincial  President  of  the  State,  at  his  very 
handsome  residence  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  Schuylkyl,  not  far  from  the  floating 
bridge  I  had  passed  in  going  to  Baltimore, 
and  which  I  now  passed  again,  on  a  horse  I 
had  hired,  the  planks  submerging  two  or 
three  inches  with  our  weight.  There  was  a 
large  party  at  dinner,  principally  Members 
of  Congress.  Mr.  Fisher  Ames,  called  the 
Burke  of  America,  was  to  have  been  present, 
but  was  kept  away  by  a  sudden  illness  that 
alarmed  his  friends.  It  was  observed  that  if 
this  illness  should  take  a  fatal  turn  the  party 


to  which  the  gentleman  belonged  would  miss 
their  aims. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  seat  was  quite  in  the  Eng- 
lish style.  The  house  was  surrounded  by  ex- 
tensive grounds  tastefully  laid  out  along  the 
right  bank  of  the  Schuylkyl.  After  dinner 
the  company  walked  upon  this  bank,  whose 
slope  to  the  water  was  planted  with  a  variety 
of  wild  and  cultivated  shrubs.  On  the  other 
side  of  a  gravel  walk  which  bordered  these 
shrubberies  was  an  extensive  lawn  which 
fronted  the  principal  windows  of  the  house. 
As  the  company,  broken  into  small  parties  a 
few  yards  from  each  other,  were  walking 
slowly  along  this  walk,  a  snake,  supposed  to 
be  of  a  venomous  kind,  crossed  from  the 
bushes,  and  disappeared  in  the  grass  on  our 
left.  Some  of  the  company  endeavoring  to 
find  it  with  their  sticks,  Mr.  Hamilton  said 
he  had  a  gardener  remarkable  in  respect  to 
snakes,  and  the  man  being  called  soon  dis- 
covered it.  He  said  it  was  of  a  dangerous 
species,  but  that  no  snake  ever  bit  him,  and 
stooping  down  he  seized  it  and  held  it  up  be- 
fore us,  grasped  about  six  inches  from  the 
head,  far  enough  to  admit  of  the  snake's 
turning  and  biting  him  if  it  had  been  so  dis- 
posed. It  darted  forth  its  tongue,  and  seemed 
163 


angry,  but  the  gardener,  nothing  intimidated 
by  these  appearances,  coolly  put  it  into  his 
bosom,  where  he  covered  it  with  his  shirt, 
and  kept  it  two  or  three  minutes.  I  had  seen 
nothing  so  extraordinary  and  repulsive  in 
the  way  of  snakes  since  the  exhibition  of  the 
snake-catchers  near  Benares. 

After  a  very  pleasant  day  at  Woodlands 
(the  name  of  Mr.  Hamilton's  elegant  villa),  I 
rode  home  by  another  floating  bridge  higher 
up  the  Schuylkyl.  For  the  attentions  I  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Hamilton  I  was  indebted  to 
the  friendly  civilities  of  his  two  nephews, 
who  had  been  sent  to  England  for  their  edu- 
cation, and  were  under  the  care  of  John 
Franks,  Esquire,  of  Isleworth,  my  father's 
next-door  neighbor ;  and  thus  during  the  hol- 
idays the  young  Americans  were  our  play- 
fellows. 

I  have  not  noted  regularly  the  dates  of 
my  subsequent  proceedings,  but  the  Atlantic 
having  dropped  down  the  river,  1  took  leave 
of  my  Philadelphia  friends,  deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  their  worth  as  well  as  of  their 
kindness  and  hospitality.  My  friend  Shaw 
having  procured  a  horse  and  gig  from  a 
Frenchman,  we  set  out  together,  on  the  ist 
or  2d  of  June,  for  Newcastle,  taking  the  road 
164 


by  which  I  had  already  travelled  when  on 
my  way  to  Baltimore.  The  first  night  we 
slept  at  a  very  indifferent  inn  at  Chester. 
The  next  morning  early  I,  the  coachman  on 
this  occasion,  for  the  sake  of  driving  through 
America,  resumed  the  reins,  and  drove  to 
Wilmington,  where  we  breakfasted.  Here 
we  turned  off  from  the  Baltimore  road  to 
Newcastle,  and  found  the  Alantic  at  anchor 
before  the  town.  Walking  about  the  streets 
in  the  afternoon  I  was  surprised  to  see  a 
pillory  in  the  market-place.  I  thought  the 
Americans  in  making  their  new  laws  might 
have  omitted  this  degrading  exhibition. 

The  following  day  I  took  leave  of  my  friend 
when  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  I  went  on  board  the  Atlantic,  which 
soon  after  dropped  down  to  Reedy  Island, 
passing  the  spot  where  the  British  fleet  an- 
chored in  1777,  after  the  occupation  of  Phila- 
delphia by  the  British  army.  Our  ships  on 
that  occasion  had  considerable  difficulty  in 
ascending  the  river,  the  Americans  having 
sunk  several  old  vessels  and  chevaux-de-frtse. 
Old  Captain  Ashmead  during  the  voyage 
from  India  used  to  speak  of  these  operations, 
in  some  of  which  he  took  an  active  part. 
The  next  day  the  pilot  moved  the  ship  lower 
165 


down,  and  the  same  afternoon  we  passed 
Capes  May  and  Henlopen,  and  entered  the 
Atlantic,  our  pilot  going  on  board  one  of  the 
boats  of  his  establishment  when  we  were  well 
off  the  coast. 

So  ended  my  successful  and  agreeable  visit 
to  the  United  States  of  America,  a  great  and 
fine  country,  destined  henceforth  to  hold  a 
conspicuous  rank  amongst  nations,  and  to 
take  an  important  part  in  the  transactions  of 
the  world.  I  have  ever  considered  my  deci- 
sion to  return  this  way  to  England  as  a  fortu- 
nate circumstance,  producing  much  satisfac- 
tion at  the  time,  and  a  store  of  matter  for 
retrospective  meditation.  If  India  was  inter- 
esting as  an  old  country,  America  was  scarce- 
ly less  so  as  a  new  one.  The  two  afforded 
those  extremes  of  life — Age  and  Infancy — 
which  a  painter  chooses  for  his  pencil.  Be- 
sides, the  infancy  of  America  was  full  of 
freshness  and  vigor,  and  already  discovered 
the  gigantic  proportions  of  her  future  stature. 
The  stars  of  her  constellation  had  but  recent- 
ly appeared  above  the  .horizon  ;  but  increas- 
ing in  number,  elevation,  and  splendor,  they 
will  hereafter  shine  to  the  most  distant  king- 
doms of  the  earth. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  Monsieur  Volney 


and  others  who  had  visited  this  country  were 
disappointed  because  they  had  unreasonably 
expected  too  much  ;  and  that  they  were  un- 
just in  blaming  a  state  of  society  that  could 
hardly  be  otherwise  than  it  was.  I  thought 
it  not  extraordinary,  much  less  a  ground  of 
reprehension,  that  the  roads  of  America 
should  be  bad;  that  the  stages  should  be 
called  wagons,  and  be  nearly  such  ;  that  a  re- 
publican shopkeeper  should  receive  his  cus- 
tomer without  taking  off  his  hat  or  saying 
more  than  yes  or  no ;  that  the  English  lan- 
guage should  be  spoken  more  fluently  than 
correctly.*  In  a  country  abounding  with 
genius,  energy,  and  enterprise ;  whose  infant 
years  have  produced  a  Washington,  a  Frank- 
lin, and  a  Jefferson ;  whose  improvement  in 
the  most  important  arts  of  life  is  advancing 
with  an  impulse  unexampled  in  the  history 
of  any  people ;  the  imperfections  inseparable 

*  Though  such  words  as  illy,  vended,  to  loan,  to  enterprise, 
and  a  few  others  are  to  be  met  with  in  the  least  cultivated  ranks 
of  society,  there  are  others  which  are  allowable  in  America 
for  their  usefulness,  as  "  portage"  applied  to  the  distances 
goods  must  be  carried  at  the  locks,  falls,  and  rapids  (as  the 
Potomac  has  so  many  portages},  and  some  which  are  admissi- 
ble both  for  their  usefulness  and  greater  precision,  as  "  boat- 
able"  as  applied  to  shallow  rivers,  instead  of  navigable,  and 
"  immigration." 

167 


from  all  human  beginnings  will  gradually 
disappear,  and  often,  it  is  not  improbable,  be 
replaced  by  models  commanding  imitation 
instead  of  sarcasm  and  reproach.  In  the 
meantime  it  is  not  for  an  inhabitant  of  the 
long-established  countries  of  Europe,  for  an 
Englishman  especially,  to  reprobate  a  state 
of  things  which  was  so  lately  the  bequest  of 
the  British  nation. 

Before  mentioning  the  few  trifling  occur- 
rences of  my  voyage  to  England,  I  will  sub- 
join some  miscellaneous  particulars  relating 
to  the  United  States  which  I  find  amongst 
my  papers.  I  shall  transpose  them  just  as 
they  stand  in  my  original  notes. 

The  population  of  the  United  States 
amounted  by  a  census  taken  in  1790  to 
nearly  4,000,000,  including  slaves,  of  which 
Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  the  countries  of 
Washington  and  Penn,  had  the  largest  num- 
ber. Massachusetts  was  the  first  to  abolish 
slavery,  and  acts  of  emancipation  have  since 
been  passed  by  other  States.  Massachusetts 
sends  twelve  representatives  to  Congress ; 
New  York,  ten  ;  Pennsylvania,  thirteen ;  Vir- 
ginia, nineteen ;  North  Carolina,  ten ;  South 
Carolina,  six ;  Maryland,  eight.  The  rest 
have,  upon  an  average,  two,  three,  and  four, 

168 


making,  altogether,  105.  General  Washing- 
ton, as  President  and  Commander-in-chief, 
has  a  salary  of  $25,000  per  annum  ;  the  Vice- 
President  only  one  fifth  of  this  sum.  I  have 
had  the  honor  of  being  introduced  to  Gen- 
eral Washington;  and  with  Mr.  John  Adams, 
the  Vice-President,  Mr.  John  Rutherford, 
of  New  Jersey,  Mr.  John  Brown,  of  Ken- 
tucky—  a  State  lately  added  to  the  Union — 
Mr.  James  Gunn,  of  Georgia,  and  Colonel 
Tatnell,  Senators,  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
being  personally  acquainted,  meeting  them 
every  day  at  table  ;  as  also  with  Mr.  William 
Murray,  the  eloquent  Member  for  Maryland, 
and  Mr.  Gilman,  of  New  Hampshire,  Mem- 
bers of  the  House  of  Representatives.  All 
these  respectable  men,  amongst  the  most 
able  and  distinguished  of  their  country,  are 
of  our  society  in  Fourth  Street,  and  show 
me  a  thousand  attentions  which  I  regret  to 
think  it  can  never  be  in  my  power  to  repay. 
These  gentlemen,  both  Senators  and  Repre- 
sentatives, receive,  I  understand,  six  dollars 
a  day  for  every  day's  attendance,  and  the 
same  for  every  day's  travelling  to  and  from 
the  seat  of  Government,  a  reasonable  rate 
in  the  present  stage  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Adams,  as  President  of  the  Senate,  receives 
169 


twelve  dollars.  The  Supreme  Court  of  Judi- 
cature consists  of  six  members;  John  Jay, 
Esq.,  is  the  President,  with  a  salary  of  about 
;£6oo  per  annum.  There  are  three  courts  in 
the  United  States — a  Supreme  Court,  a  Dis- 
trict Court,  and  a  Court  of  Circuit.  Each 
State  has  three  circuits,  and  a  judge  who 
holds  the  State  Court.  He  must  hold  four 
sessions  annually.  The  Circuit  Court  is 
composed  of  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  or  of  more  in  particular  cases, 
and  the  district  judge. 

Philosophical  apparatus,  if  imported  for 
any  seminary  of  learning,  books,  and  imple- 
ments of  trade,  etc.,  belonging  to  persons  in- 
tending to  reside  in  the  country,  are  exempt 
from  duty. 

The  pay  of  a  major-general  is  about  ,£420 
a  year ;  of  a  private,  ^10. 

The  gold  coins  consist  of  eagles,  worth  ten 
dollars  each  ;  half  and  quarter,  ditto. 

The  silver  coins  of  dollars,  half  and  quarter 
ditto,  dimes  or  tenths,  and  half-dimes.  The 
copper  coins  of  cents,  or  one-hundredth  parts 
of  a  dollar,  and  half-cents. 

There  are  many  societies  in  the  principal 
towns  for  the  encouragement  of  immigration, 
the  great  want  of  America  in  its  present  stage 


being  population.  A  poor  man  is  considered 
rich  if  he  has  a  large  family.  Irish  linens  are 
considered  inferior  to  the  American  home- 
spun, which  the  climate  admits  of  being 
bleached  without  the  use  of  drugs  or  of  ma- 
chines. Horses  and  horned  cattle  used  to 
form  a  great  part  of  the  New  England  car- 
goes for  the  British  West  India  Islands.  New 
England  is  not  favorable  to  the  cultivation  of 
grain.  Although  cotton  thrives  so  well  in 
the  Southern  States,  I  am  informed  that  this 
article  is  imported  from  the  Mauritius  and 
Bombay.  Silk  is  produced  in  Georgia  and 
other  parts  of  the  Union.  There  is  also 
abundance  of  iron,  lead,  and  copper,  but  the 
high  price  of  labor  prevents  the  working  of 
the  mines  to  any  great  extent,  particularly 
those  of  copper  and  lead.  The  beer-brewers 
of  Philadelphia  use  about  40,000  bushels  of 
barley  annually.  A  seventy-gun  ship  may  lie 
at  many  of  the  wharfs  of  Philadelphia.  The 
export  of  flour  in  the  spring  quarter  of  1793 
exceeded  200,000  barrels.  Maple -sugar  is 
manufactured  in  Pennsylvania  from  the  mid- 
dle of  January  to  the  end  of  March.  About 
fifty  maple- trees  grow  on  an  acre  of  land. 
Each  tree  produces  annually  about  five  pounds 
of  sugar.  It  is  asserted  that  the  maple-trees 


of  the  Union  are  capable  of  producing  sugar 
for  the  whole  population.  It  appears  to  me 
that  the  cajoor-tree  of  Bengal  might  be  suc- 
cessfully introduced  into  the  Southern  States, 
as  also  possibly  the  mango,  and  some  other 
Asiatic  trees.  I  omitted  to  mention  this  to 
General  Washington.  At  present  20,000,000 
Ibs.  of  sugar  are  consumed  annually.  This 
quantity  must  increase  considerably  and  rap- 
idly, such  increase  being  promoted  by  two 
causes,  which  reciprocally  strengthen  each 
other — the  progressive  advancement  of  the 
population  and  of  the  comforts  of  the  people. 
The  comparative  value  of  Georgian  and 
Mediterranean  rice  is  25^-  in  favor  of  the 
former  in  the  English  markets ;  that  of  Car- 
olina rice  a  trifle  higher.  I  have  mentioned 
that  tobacco  is  the  staple  article  of  culture  in 
Maryland,  but  it  is  produced  in  nearly  equal 
quantities  in  the  States  to  the  south  of  the 
Potomac.  Maryland  and  Virginia  are  now 
turning  their  attention  to  wheat,  Indian  corn, 
flax,  and  hemp.  Cotton  also  is  now  culti- 
vated in  these  States.  Indigo  is  produced  in 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia ;  in  what  quan- 
tities, or  what  its  quality  is,  I  do  not  know. 
Tar,  pitch,  and  turpentine  are  produced  in 
immense  quantities  in  North  Carolina.  Live- 


oak  and  red-cedar  abound  in  the  Carolinas 
and  Georgia,  and  Virginia  is  supposed  to  be 
pregnant  with  minerals  and  fossils.  I  have 
already  mentioned  that  peach  brandy  is  made 
from  the  peach  orchards  I  saw  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Chesapeak,  and  also  in  North 
Carolina  and  Georgia  and  some  parts  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

The  State  of  Massachusetts  has  been  set- 
tled twice  as  long  as  most  of  the  other  States. 
A  principal  dependence  of  the  Eastern  and 
Northern  States  is  the  fisheries. 

The  public  debt  after  such  a  war  is  only 
about  ^10,000,000.  The  moderation  of  the 
public  expenditure  is  equally  remarkable. 
There  is  no  land  tax  and  no  excise,  with  the 
exception  of  a  duty  on  domestic  distilled 
spirits.  The  exports  are  five  times  the  amount 
of  the  national  taxes  and  duties.  In  the  year 
ending  the  3oth  September,  1793,  the  ex- 
ports amounted  to  $26,000,000.  All  ships 
sail  fully  laden,  except  those  destined  for  the 
ports  of  India.  Almost  all  goods  imported 
have  a  total  drawback  on  re-exportation.  No 
man  can  be  convicted  without  the  unanimous 
verdict  of  twelve  jurymen.  Emigrants  be- 
come free  citizens  after  a  residence  of  two 
years,  The  intrinsic  value  of  the  silver  coin 
173 


is  required  to  be  equal  to  that  of  Spain.  The 
banks  divide  a  profit  of  eight  per  cent.  A 
ship  of  live-oak  of  two  hundred  tons  can  be 
fitted  out  for  £14.  currency  per  ton,  which  is 
said  to  be  £6  less  than  the  outfit  of  an  oak 
ship  in  any  part  of  Europe.  The  Delaware  is 
generally  frozen  from  four  to  nine  weeks  in 
the  winter,  but  with  occasional  opportunities 
for  ships  to  get  out.  The  population  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1791  was  434,000.  The  museum 
which  has  my  oyster-shell  is  called  Peale's 
Museum,  after  its  founder.* 

The  party  with  which  I  was  now  crossing 
the  Atlantic  was  very  small,  consisting  only 
of  the  captain,  a  man  inferior  in  every  respect 
to  my  two  preceding  commanders;  of  the 
supercargo,  who,  under  the  appearance,  or 
rather  perhaps  with  a  mixture  of  excessive 
silliness,  was  said  to  disguise  the  usual  acute- 
ness  of  his  countrymen ;  of  a  silent,  inoffen- 
sive Scotchman,  who  had  gained  nothing  in 

*  Soon  after  my  return  to  England  I  made  a  communication 
to  Mr.  Charles  Grant,  a  leading  East  India  Director,  on  the 
commerce  between  India  and  America.  I  called  upon  him 
for  this  purpose  at  his  residence  on  Clapham  Common,  and 
was  so  much  struck  with  the  beauty  and  convenience  of  the 
situation  that,  looking  forward  at  that  time  and  for  some  years 
after  to  a  s^at  on  the  India  Direction,  I  always  associated  with 
this  view  a  house  on  Clapham  Common. 


America,  and  had  not  lost  there  his  native 
dialect;  and  a  Mr.  Cooke,  a  pleasing  young 
man,  of  a  respectable  family  in  Philadelphia 
or  Baltimore,  who  was  going  to  Europe  on 
his  travels. 

A  thick  fog,  in  which  we  found  ourselves 
enveloped  a  few  days  after  passing  through 
the  Gulf  Stream,  announced  our  arrival  on 
the  great  bank  of  Newfoundland,  about  one 
hundred  miles  from  the  southeast  extremity 
of  the  island  of  that  name.  This  great  bank, 
so  celebrated  for  the  prodigious  quantities  of 
codfish  caught  upon  it,  is  three  hundred  miles 
in  length  and  seventy  to  eighty  broad.  As 
we  advanced  upon  it  the  density  of  the  at- 
mosphere so  much  increased  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  discover  anything  more  than  a 
few  yards  from  the  bowsprit,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  keep  the  ship's  bell  ringing  to  warn 
any  vessel  that  might  be  before  us  or  any 
fishing-boat  at  anchor.  When  we  supposed 
that  we  were  upon  good  fishing-ground  we 
heaved-to,  and  having  ascertained  the  depth, 
a  line  charged  with  lead  and  baited  with  a 
few  hooks  was  thrown  overboard.  A  few 
fresh  cod  would  have  been  very  acceptable, 
but,  whether  from  not  being  at  a  proper  part 
of  the  bank,  or  at  the  proper  season,  or  being 
175 


ignorant  of  the  right  way  of  fishing,  we  caught 
nothing.  The  depth  of  water  varies  from  fif- 
teen to  sixty  fathoms.  More  than  2000  ves- 
sels are  engaged  in  this  extraordinary  fishery, 
the  greater  number  belonging  to  Great  Brit- 
ain and  the  United  States. 

When  we  had  left  the  Great  Bank  a  few 
days  it  was  discovered  that  the  ship  had 
sprung  a  leak.  The  pumps  were  immediately 
worked,  and  kept  going  day  and  night  with- 
out interruption,  to  the  great  fatigue  of  our 
small  crew.  The  water,  however,  was  still 
deep  in  the  hold,  and  was  increasing  upon  us. 
I  could  not  but  observe  what  was  going  on, 
but  said  nothing  till  it  was  evident  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  us,  in  the  present 
state  of  the  vessel,  to  reach  more  than  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic,  and  that  the  only 
prudent  course  was  to  put  about  before  we 
were  beyond  reach  of  St.  John's,  the  principal 
harbor  in  Newfoundland.  I  found  that  this 
too  was  the  captain's  opinion,  but  he  was, 
unfortunately,  under  the  control  of  the  super- 
cargo, upon  whom  reason  seemed  to  have  lit- 
tle influence.  After  continuing  two  days  and 
nights  in  this  miserable  manner,  with  the 
chance  that  by  hard  pumping  and  a  fair  wind 
we  might  keep  the  ship  afloat  to  England, 


the  water  disturbed  the  position  of  the  bar- 
rels of  tar  of  which  the  cargo  was  partly 
composed,  and  this  substance,  escaping  and 
mixing  with  the  water  in  the  well,  choked 
and  stopped  the  pumps. 

Although  no  one  on  board  was  more 
alarmed  at  the  situation  in  which  the  ship 
now  was  than  the  supercargo,  she  was  still 
kept  on  her  course.  Search  was  made  for  a 
small  cask  of  turpentine  supposed  to  be  on 
board,  which,  it  was  said,  would  free  the 
pumps  ;  but  it  could  not  be  found.  Still  the 
ship  was  kept  on.  Supported  by  the  captain 
and  other  passengers,  I  now  protested  against 
the  extravagance  of  the  supercargo,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  it  was  agreed  that  if  the  tur- 
pentine should  not  be  found  before  twelve 
o'clock  that  day  the  ship's  head  should  be 
put  about.  A  more  active  search  was  made, 
and  shortly  before  the  expiration  of  the  lim- 
ited time  the  important  discovery  was  made, 
and  the  cask  brought  upon  deck.  A  small 
portion  of  its  valuable  contents  being  poured 
down  the  pumps,  these  were  immediately 
cleared,  and  the  tar  at  the  bottom  of  the 
hold  so  liquefied  that  it  came  up  with  the 
water.  The  leak,  however,  still  continued, 
and  obliged  the  poor  seamen  to  work  at  the 


pumps  day  and  night  during  the  rest  of  the 
voyage. 

One  evening,  when  our  journey  was  draw- 
ing towards  its  close,  we  discovered  a  strange 
sail.  Her  size,  as  she  bore  down  upon  us, 
showed  that  she  was  a  man-of-war,  British  or 
French.  In  either  case  the  tar  we  had  on 
board  would  be  likely  to  cause  our  detention. 
We  soon  perceived  that  she  was  a  three- 
decker,  and  having  hoisted  British  colors  she 
fired  a  gun  for  us  to  bring -to.  The  super- 
cargo, justly  fearing  the  detention  of  the  ship, 
absurdly  conceived  the  idea  of  escaping,  and, 
although  he  dared  not  order  more  sail  to  be 
set,  he  desired  the  captain  to  disregard  the 
signal  and  to  keep  before  the  wind.  Scarcely 
was  this  wise  manoeuvre  adopted  before  we 
perceived  the  flash  of  another  of  the  bow 
guns  of  the  great  ship  and  a  shot,  that  had 
passed  just  ahead  of  us,  fall  into  the  sea  on 
the  other  side.  This,  in  sea  etiquette,  was  a 
civil  way  of  letting  us  know  that  the  next 
shot  would  be  fired  at  us,  and  we  had  indeed 
reason  to  be  thankful  that  we  had  not  re- 
ceived the  last. 

All  hands  were  now  employed  in  shorten- 
ing sail  and  heaving  the  ship  to.  The  three- 
decker,  though  under  easy  sail,  approached 
178 


us  fast,  and  offered  a  magnificent  spectacle  as 
she  stretched  across  the  waves  with  apparent- 
ly very  little  motion.  Her  bows  and  port- 
holes were  crowded  with  men,  who  looked 
down  upon  us.  Perfect  silence  prevail^!  till 
broken  by  the  usual  salutation  through  the 
speaking-trumpet,  to  which  the  following 
questions  and  answers  succeeded  :  "What 
ship  is  that?"  "The  Atlantic,  of  Philadel- 
phia." "  Where  bound  ?"  "  To  London." 
"  What  have  you  on  board  ?"  This  question 
would  have  caused  much  embarrassment,  on 
account  of  the  tar  we  had  on  board,  which  we 
might  be  suspected  of  carrying  to  a  French 
port,  if  such  a  demand  had  not  been  antici- 
pated, and  an  answer  to  it  prepared.  Instead, 
therefore,  of  naming  the  " tar"  the  captain 
replied,  "  Colonial  produce."  "  Send  a  boat 
on  board  with  your  papers."  "  We  have  not 
a  boat  that  will  live  in  this  sea."  "  Come  un- 
der our  stern  for  the  night." 

I  deeply  participated  in  the  vexation  which 
this  order  produced  in  our  ship.  But  remon- 
strance would  have  been  imprudent  and  use- 
less, and  we  accordingly  took  our  station 
astern  of  the  three-decker,  which  we  now  dis- 
covered to  be  the  Queen  Charlotte,  the  flag- 
ship of  Lord  Keith,  commander  of  the  Chan- 


nel  Fleet,  which  was,  probably,  not  far  off  to 
leeward,  though  not  in  sight  from  our  deck. 
After  following  the  Queen  Charlotte  half  an 
hour,  expecting  to  be  overhauled  in  the  morn- 
ing, Ve  again  heard  the  trumpet  over  the 
stern  of  that  ship,  and  caught  these  unex- 
pected and  most  welcome  words,  "  You  may 
make  sail  on  your  course."  We  immediately 
turned  the  ship's  head  towards  England. 

The  next  day  we  fell  in  with  a  pilot-boat, 
not  far  from  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  a  pilot 
taking  charge  of  the  ship  proceeded  with  her 
up  Channel;  while  the  supercargo  and  the 
other  two  passengers  and  myself  went  in  the 
pilot -boat  to  Cowes,  passing  through  the 
Needles.  We  soon  after  crossed  over  to 
Portsmouth.  Here  we  hired  a  coach  and  four 
horses,  and  arrived  late  at  night  at  Esher,  two 
stages  from  London.  We  continued  our 
journey  the  next  morning,  and  entered  Lon- 
don by  Blackfriars'  Bridge.  Having  set 
down  my  companions  at  the  London  Coffee 
House  on  Ludgate  Hill,  I  drove  to  Essex 
Street,  where  my  grandmother  still  lived. 
This  good  lady  walked  with  me  to  Devereux 
Court,  where  I  found  my  father  and  broth- 
ers, Richard  and  George,  and  received  from 
them  the  kindest  welcome.  In  the  evening 
1 80 


my  father  drove  me  in  his  curricle  to  Isle- 
worth,  where  I  had  the  happiness  of  again 
seeing  my  mother  and  Sister  Ann,  and  soon 
after  my  Uncle  and  Aunt  John  drove  over 
from  Twickenham. 


THE    END 


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N2  408705 

E164 
Twining,  T.  T98 

Travels  in  America 
100  years  ago. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


